ytfty' 

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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


REMINISCENT 
RAMBLINGS 


BY 
A.  M.  WELLES 


To  My  Sons: 

Merritt  and  Halsey  Welles, 

this  work  is  lovingly  dedicated. 


Illustrations  by  the  Author. 


1905 

THE  W.  F.  ROBINSON  PRINTING  CO., 
DENVER,  COLO. 


REMINISCENT  RAMBLINGS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

All  through  that  section  of  country  in  North- 
ern New  York,  where  David  Harum  and  Eben 
Holden  played  in  comparative  obscurity  their 
important,  interesting  and  beautiful  parts  in  the 
great  drama  of  life,  where  Ethan  Allen  roared 
his  demands  for  unconditional  surrender  into 
the  ears  of  the  slumbering  representatives  of  a 
foreign  power  which  sought  to  enthrall  the  liber- 
ties of  his  race,  and  from  whence  emerged  with 
a  blind  determination  born  of  his  convictions, 
that  grim  unflinching  individual,  John  Brown, 
in  his  reckless  attempt  at  securing  the  freedom 
of  another,  there  had  long  dwelt,  and  still  exists, 
a  multitude  of  unique  and  interesting  characters 
yet  unrecorded,  and  which,  though  many  such 
are  personally  known  to  the  writer,  it  is  not  his 
purpose  to  attempt. 

In  all  this  section,  and  particularly  that  por- 
tion about  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain  and 
well  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  Adirondacks,  has 
been  the  home  of  a  sturdy  class,  which  in  their 
possession  of  the  requisites  of  strength  of  limb 
and  purpose,  industry,  thrift,  integrity  and 
marked  individuality,  remain  unsurpassed  by 


O  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

the  occupants  of  any  other  like  area  upon  the 
American  Continent ;  an  area  which  though  long 
settled  and  being  possessed  of,  and  in  close  touch 
with  the  highest  advancement  anywhere  to  be 
found,  still  retains  in  certain  localities  the  prac- 
tically unchanged  features  of  its  original  unre- 
claimed condition,  which,  coupled  with  the  his- 
toric scenes  enacted  there,  lent  to  the  tales  of 
Fenimore  Cooper  the  weird,  wild  interest  which 
they  possess. 

The  writer,  being  a  combination  of  this 
Northern  stock  with  that  of  one  of  the  ancient 
clans  of  Long  Island  and  Xew  Jersey,  was  in 
early  youth  settled  in  the  very  midst  of  this  in- 
tensely characterized  community,  environed  by 
the  most  striking  peculiarities  and  customs  of  its 
people. 

We  dwelt  in  Washington  County,  near  the 
head  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  but  a  few  miles 
from  the  historic  old  town  of  Skeensboro,  now 
called  Whitehall ;  and,  like  the  greater  portion 
of  the  populace,  were  engaged  in  farming.  The 
district  was  settled  largely  by  the  early  overflow 
of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island,  who  brought 
with  them  the  principles  and  the  practices  of 
their  Mayflower  antecessors,  and  which  were 
preserved  so  carefully,  and  observed  so  faith- 
fully, that  from  the  dawn  of  recollection  to  the 
day  of  emancipation,  I  enjoyed  the  unswerving 
discipline  of  a  Martinet  and  the  simplicity  in 
food,  dress,  and  manners  of  the  earliest  Puritan 
environment. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  7 

To  be  more  exact  in  the  location  of  this  early 
home,  it  was  over  near  Slyborough  Corners,  a 
cross  roads  about  two  miles  from  the  Vermont 
line.  In  one  angle  formed  by  the  crossing  of 
the  roads  was  what  was  known  far  and  near  as 
the  "Old  Eed  School  House."  In  another  was 
the  combination  residence  and  cobbling  estab- 
lishment of  Dave  Gelder,  who  himself  was  a 
combination  farmer,  shoemaker  and  politician, 
and  employed  his  time  in  doing  a  very  little 
farming,  and  some  considerable  shoe  repairing ; 
the  balance,  and  greater  portion  of  his  time  be- 
ing consumed  in  political  argument.  Dave  and 
John  Brown  and  Abe  Lincoln,  having  finally 
succeeded  in  freeing  the  slaves,  and  Brown  b&- 
ing  dead  and  Lincoln's  duties  compelling  him  to 
remain  in  Washington  continuously,  it  devolved 
upon  Dave  to  make  single-handed  and  full  ex- 
planation to  the  "Copperhead"  contingent  about 
the  Corners  in  defense  of  their  act.  This  took 
a  long  time,  and  was  still  being  argued  when  the 
writer,  several  years  later,  packed  his  sheepskin 
out  of  the  "Old  Red  School  House"  and  finally 
quit  the  scene.  On  the  third  corner  was  the  res- 
idence of  Dan 

Wood.      This   was  ^          ,,    --- 

a  combination  es- 
tablishment     also, 
and    consisted    of 
a  back  kitchen,   a 
living  room,  and  a 


/ 
"spare"    room    or 


The  Old  Red  School  House. 


8  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

parlor,  with  so-called  outside  door  opening  on 
the  street.  Dan's  occupation,  aside  from  culti- 
vating his  garden  and  arguing  the  slave  question 
with  Dave  Gelder,  was  that  of  an  itinerant 
butcher,  a  branch  of  service  which  frequently 
called  him  away  on  long  trips  of  a  mile  or  two 
and  kept  him  fairly  busy  at  certain  seasons,  es- 
pecially during  "hog-killing  time,"  which  oc- 
curred late  in  the  autumn.  Like  most  men  who 
are  wedded  to  their  profession,  Dan  subordi- 
nated to  it  the  frivolities  of  dress  and  fashion- 
able society,  as  will  be  remembered  by  those  who 
knew  him,  hence  had  little  use  for  a  parlor;  in 
view  of  which,  and  further  influenced  by  his 
incessant  dream  of  the  Corners  some  day  be- 
coming a  great  and  important  commercial  cen- 
ter, he  rented  this  room  to  a  one-armed  Welsh- 
man named  Hugh  Jones  for  a  store ;  and  when 
a  few  days  later  a  whole  two-horse  wagon  load 
of  general  merchandise  arrived  at  the  Corners 
and  was  installed  in  the  new  establishment,  it 
did  look  for  a  time  even  to  the  most  skeptical, 
that  Dan's  dreams  were  about  to  be  realized. 
This  store  proved  a  great  convenience  to  the 
school  boys,  as  it  enabled  them  to  dispose  of  any 
stray  hen's  eggs  they  came  across,  in  exchange 
for  candy,  root  beer  and  chewing  gum.  Upon 
the  wall  at  one  end  of  the  room  opposite  the 
counter  was  posted  a  gaudy  print  of  "Flora 
Temple,"  in  her  world-startling  feat  of  trotting 
a  full  mile  in  two  minutes  and  forty  seconds. 
At  the  opposite  end  appeared  several  wood  cuts, 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  9 

purporting  to  represent  the  prize  fighters,  John 
C.  Heenan  and  John  Morrisey,  as  they  appeared 
both  before  and  after  their  battle,  and  so  poorly 
executed  as  to  convey  the  impression  of  the  con- 
test having  actually  improved  their  facial  fea- 
tures. The  fourth  or  remaining  corner  or  angle 
formed  by  the  crossing  of  the  roads  was  occu- 
pied by  a  young  and  bearing  orchard,  which  had 
been  set  out  and  was  cared  for  by  a  kind-hearted, 
considerate  farmer  named  Hicks,  apparently  for 
the  sole  benefit  and  convenience  of  the  school 
children.  Viewed  from  every  standpoint,  it 
seemed  at  the  time  that  so  long  as  such  evils  had 
to  exist,  this  was  possessed  of  the  best  natural 
advantages,  and  altogether  one  of  the  very  best 
locations  for  a  schoolhouse  that  could  possibly 
have  been  selected.  Aside  from  the  attractions 
and  conveniences  set  forth,  the  north  and  south 
road  ran  down  a  hillside  and  furnished  excellent 
and  convenient  coasting  in  winter,  while  the 
great,  irregular  and  generous  intersection  which 
they  formed  provided  a  ball  ground  for  summer. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill  ran  a  small  stream,  which 
in  ordinary  wet  weather  and  with  a  little  ob- 
struction, furnished  a  swimming  hole. 

The  old  school  house,  aside  from  its  duties 
as  a  dispensary  of  general  information  to  the 
young,  was  the  place  of  assemblage  for  all  school 
and  town  meetings,  lyceums  for  the  introduc- 
tion and  airing  of  local  budding  geniuses  (of 
which  there  was  a  large  crop  each  year),  and 
for  the  final  settlement  in  fact,  either  in  behalf 


10  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

of  the  neighborhood  or  the  country  at  large,  of 
all  the  momentous  questions  which  arose.  All 
such  contemplated  gatherings  were  several  days 
preceded  by  a  painfully  formal  notice  tacked 
upon  the  door  and  setting  forth  the  purpose  of 
the  meeting,  the  date  and  hour  being  given,  for 
example,  as  "next  Wednesday  night  at  early 
candle  lighting,"  each  attendant,  as  a  rule, 
bringing  a  tallow  candle  as  a  contribution  to 
the  illumination. 

Each  Sunday  evening  during  the  summer 
months  it  served  still  another  purpose.  After  a 
pair  of  lengthy  sermons,  forenoon  and  afternoon 
at  what  was  termed  the  "regular  meeting  house" 
up  at  Truthville,  two  miles  distant,  and  we  had 
returned  home  and  hauled  in  a  load  or  two  of 
hay  for  fear  of  rain,  and  turned  the  team  out  in 
the  pasture,  and  cooked  and  eaten  supper,  and 
milked  the  cows,  we  again  congregated  at  the 
old  school  house  where  Deacon  Mason  set  to 
work  for  an  hour  or  two  bringing  out  a  great 
number  of  points  which  Elder  Pratt,  in  his  ser- 
mons up  at  the  regular  meeting  house,  had, 
through  lack  of  time,  omitted. 

The  "regular  meeting  house"  was  from  an 
architectural  standpoint  rather  an  imposing 
structure  for  so  remote  and  rural  a  district,  and 
embodied  harmonious  and  dignified  features, 
graceful  and  poetic  lines  foreign  to  the  general 
ideas  of  the  ordinary  country  carpenter.  Its 
facade  was  ornamented  by  a  broad  gable,  sup- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 


11 


ported  by  four  Doric  columns  of  huge  propor- 
tions ;  the  whole  crowned  by  an  ornate  belfry ; 
at  either  end  of  the  low  porch  thus  formed,  was 
a  platform  where  the  farm  teams  landed  their 
loads  of  worshipers  and  then  passed  on  to  rest 
and  wait  beneath  the  sheds  that  flanked  the 
church  for  a  hundred  feet  or  more  on  either 
side.  The  choir  was  in  the  form  of  a  gallery, 
which  projected  from  the  front  of  the  interior 
and  extended  from  wall  to  wall ;  and  when  El- 
der Pratt  the  minister  had  finished  reading  the 
hymn,  and  had  again  given  the  number  and 
page,  and  again  called  the  choir's  attention  to 
the  fact  that  they  would  sing  "only  the  first, 
third  and  fourth  stanzas,  omitting  the  second," 
we  all  arose  and  faced  about,  and  joined  in  or 
remained  silent  as  the  Elder  had  directed. 

From  the  ceiling  was  supended  two  mam- 
moth and  ornate  chandeliers  of  cut  glass,  with 
yards  of  fringe  formed  of  numberless  cut  glass 
pendants,  which  trembled  and  twinkled  and  shot 
out  their  bright 

gleams  of  irides-  -  jf\ 

cent  light  when- 
ever the  Elder, 
rising  to  heights 
of  righteous  in- 
dignation over 
the  acts  of  evil- 
doers, violently 
pounded  the 
pulpit  desk. 


,?  -^".l  '^.^'-^E  ^i^^r 


The  "Remular  Meeting  House"  at  Truthville. 


12  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

The  church,  as  stated,  was  located  in  a  little- 
nearby  hamlet  called  "Truthville" ;  so  named  it- 
was  said  from  the  fact  that  in  its  earlier  history, 
so  great  a  percentage  of  its  residents  became  so 
skillful  in  handling  the  truth,  that  after  a  brief 
period  of  manipulation  on  their  part,  it  bore  no 
semblance  to  its  former  self. 

The  "creed"  promulgated  at  "the  regular 
meeting  house"  was  that  of  the  "Hard  Shell" 
Baptist,  with  no  exclusions,  interpolations,  or 
variations  of  whatsoever  nature.  And  though 
orthodox  and  painfully  strict  and  free  from 
every  form  of  frivolity  and  facetiousness  in  all 
ceremonies  and  other  doings,  it  was  possessed  of 
one  interesting  and,  to  us  boys,  exciting  feature 
aside  from  the  regular  donation  each  winter; 
and  that  was  the  frequent  occurrences  of  bap- 
tism by  immersion.  For  through  some  influ- 
ence never  perfectly  understood  by  us,  these  new 
recruits  with  their  changed  convictions,  always 
presented  themselves  during  the  coldest  portion 
of  a  Northern  New  York  winter,  when  the  ice 
was  a  foot  thick  or  more  in  the  "Mettowee" 
River  down  back  of  the  church,  and  the  snow 
four  feet  deep  on  its  banks.  And  like  boys  of 
that  age,  not  attending  the  protracted  meetings 
which  brought  all  this  about  (for  the  regular 
Sunday  sermons  to  which  we  were  compelled  to 
listen  were  protracted  enough),  we  had  learned 
to  note  at  the  close  of  the  afternoon  sermon  the 
singing  of  the  hymn,  "There  is  a  Fountain 
Filled  With  Blood,"  and  accepted  it  as  pretty 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  13 

conclusive  evidence  that  a  baptism  was  about  to 
occur  (which  seldom  failed),  and  then  hied  our- 
selves away  down  to  the  river  and  into  choice 
positions  from  which  to  view  the  affair. 


Elder  Pratt,  who  presided  over  the  congre- 
gation, and  had  for  many  years,  was  generally 
regarded  in  the  neighborhood  as  a  very  able  man. 
His  annual  salary  finally,  and  after  many  years 
of  patient  endeavors,  reached  the  sum  of  four 
hundred  dollars  cash,  together  with  a  house  and 
garden,  the  pasturing  of  one  cow  and  a  donation 
each  winter.  Aside  from  his  ability,  the  Elder 
was  also  regarded  as  a  most  sincere  man.  This 
impression  was  largely  gained  from  the  earnest- 
ness and  uncontrollable  emotion  displayed  in  the 
delivery  of  his  sermons,  and  the  belief  steadily 
gained  ground  amongst  his  followers,  until  late 
one  Sabbath  afternoon  the  ungodly  son  of  a 
member  of  the  church,  in  wending  his  way  home 
from  a  fishing  trip,  found  in  the  road,  between 
the  church  and  the  Elder's  house,  the  manu- 
script of  his  two  sermons  for  that  day.  (It 
may  here  be  stated  that  the  Elder  invariably 
read  his  sermons).  Opening  the  manuscript, 
this  worldly  individual  (who  like  all  of  his  kind 
was  ever  on  the  alert  for  some  evidence  whereby 
to  criticise  the  acts  of  the  more  godly)  soon  de- 
tected, scattered  throughout,  numerous  marginal 
notes  in  pencil,  such  as  the  following:  "Mani- 
fest sympathy,"  then  farther  on,  "display  emo- 


14  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

tion,"  still  farther  on,  an  evidently  worse  condi- 
tion of  affairs  called  for  "show  intense  emo- 
tion," and  finally  the  scene  culminated  at  the 
marginal  reminder,  "weep  freely  here." 


About  once  in  each  year  an  itinerant  leger- 
demain artist,  in  wandering  about  the  country 
with  an  old  horse  and  wagon,  brought  up  at  the 
schoolhouse  and  gave  a  show,  which  embraced  a 
magic  lantern,  a  Punch  and  Judy  exhibition 
with  the  accompanying  ventriloquism,  together 
with  a  few  sleight  of  hand  tricks,  and  a  final 
passing  around  of  the  hat.  This,  with  a  circus 
over  at  Middle  Granville  some  time  during  the 
summer  or  autumn,  and  a  donation  for  Elder 
Pratt  up  at  the  regular  meeting  house  some  time 
during  the  winter,  constituted  the  entire  chain 
of  events  which  possessed  any  real  attraction  for 
a  boy. 

That  a  boy  of  that  time  and  environment 
should  grow  to  manhood  possessed  of  some  ver- 
satility in  the  service  he  could  in  case  of  emer- 
gency perform  was  in  no  very  great  degree 
strange.  In  spring  and  summer  he  was  called 
from  bed  at  an  early  hour  to  get  the  cows,  help 
milk,  feed  the  pigs,  make  garden,  pull  weeds, 
ride  horse  for  cultivator,  rake  scatterings  be- 
hind the  .hay  wagon,  help  "mow"  away  hay  in 
the  big  hay  mow  of  the  barn,  up  under  a  hot 
roof,  with  a  big  man  pitching  it  back  so  fast 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  15 

that  a  boy,  half  smothered,  soaked  with  nerspira- 
tion,  with  hay  seed  getting  down  his  back  and 
straws  getting  up  inside  the  legs  of  his  panta- 
loons, had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  alive,  and  the 
Commandments  meanwhile.  Then  he  could 
churn,  with  an  old-fashioned  "dasher"  churn, 
the  year  around.  No  one  ever  saw  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  cream  just  suitable  for  quick  opera- 
tion ;  after  hours  of  monotonous  pounding,  they 
would  move  the  churn  up  close  to  the  stove,  then 
away  again,  then  they  would  pour  in  a  little  hot 
water,  then  a  little  cold,  until  there  was  no  ser- 
vice in  the  long  list  which  had  such  terrors  as 
churning,  unless  possibly  it  may  have  been  turn- 
ing grindstone  or  holding  candle  for  some  one  to 
work  by. 

There  were  two  seasons  of  the  year  in  which 
the  grindstone  exercised  its  deadly  functions; 
in  the  winter  when  the  axes  were  ground  for 
wood  chopping,  and  in  the  summer  time  when 
the  scythes  had  to  be  sharpened  for  cutting  hay. 
What  hard  steel  there  was  in  those  axes  and 
scythes  of  that  day,  and  how  the  man  grinding 
did  have  to  bear  down  on  the  stone !  Then  au- 
tumn came,  and  between  gathering  apples,  husk- 
ing corn  and  picking  up  potatoes,  contributed 
fairly  in  adding  further  occupations. 


When  winter  set  in  there  wasn't  a  single 
thing  to  do  until  spring  but  the  chores  and  go  to 


16  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

school,  of  course.  All  the  chores  amounted  to 
in  the  writer's  case  was  about  as  follows :  To  be 
called  a  little  before  five  in  the  morning  to  feed 
twenty-five  or  thirty  head  of  young  cattle,  fifty 
or  sixty  sheep,  five  or  six  cows,  three  or  four 
hogs,  the  farm  team  and  the  chickens,  milk  at 
least  two  cows,  curry  the  horses  and  clean  the 
stables,  and  about  two  mornings  in  each  week, 
shovel  snow;  then  hurry  to  school,  and  hurry 
home  in  the  evening  to  repeat  the  duties  men- 
tioned, besides  filling  the  wood-box  heaping  full 
for  the  night. 

Breakfast  and  supper  were  always  eaten  by 
candle  light  during  winter  and  in  the  long  even- 
ings he  was  kept  in  the  straight  and  narrow  path 
by  being  permitted  to  sit  and  hold  a  "hank"  of 
stocking  and  mitten  yarn,  caught  about  the 
backs  of  the  hands  placed  a  suitable  distance 
apart,  with  the  thumbs  in  a  vertical  position, 
while  his  mother  wound  it  into  a  ball,  and  he 
wearily  watched  the  thread  pass  from  end  to 
end  of  the  skein,  and  clucked  the  right  thumb  to 
the  left  and  the  left  thumb  to  the  right  to  allow 
it  to  escape. 

This  winter  idleness  endured  until  the  very 
early  springtime.  While  the  snows  were  yet 
deep,  and  it  froze  during  the  night  and  thawed 
during  the  day,  the  sap  of  the  sugar  maple 
trees  which  grew  up  in  the  woods  at  the  far  end 
of  the  pasture  started  to  leave  its  subterranean 
winter  quarters  in  the  roots,  and  climb  upward 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  17 

to  irrigate  the  branches  for  the  production  of  a 
summer  foliage.  To  obtain  sugar  and  molasses, 
and  avoid  so  far  as  possible  the  payment  of 
money  or  the  exchange  of  other  marketable  pro- 
ducts for  the  same  during  the  year,  it  became 
necessary  to  intercept  a  portion  of  this  saccha- 
rine fluid  in  its  passage  upward  through  the 
trunk,  to  accomplish  which,  and  to  gather  and 
reduce  the  fluid  obtained  to  a  usefuul  product, 
involved  an  active,  unceasing .  service.  In  ar- 
ranging for  the  task  great  numbers  of  spouts 
were  prepared  from  the  sumac,  which  grew  in 
bunches  about  the  field.  After  gathering  all 
the  pails  and  milk  pans  which  could  be  spared 
from  the  house  in  which  to  catch  the  sap,  many 
more  receptacles  were  needed,  and  these  were 
provided  by  hewing  out  little  troughs  from  short 
sections  cut  from  the  trunks  of  trees.  The  old 
cast  iron  "pot  ash"  kettle  was  cleaned  up,  taken 
to  the  woods,  and  at  some  central  and  convenient 
point  slung  to  a  green  pole  which  was  supported 
by  two  crotched  or  forked  stakes.  At  times,  in 
case  of  more  than  ordinary  operations,  two  or 
even  three  of  these  kettles  were  used.  The  sap, 
after  being  reduced  to  a  certain  consistency  was 
dipped  from  one  kettle  into  the  next,  when  the 
product  of  the  last  kettle  would  be  taken  to  the 
farmhouse  for  final  reduction  or  "sugaring  off" 
in  the  fireplace  or  on  the  kitchen  stove.  At 
times  when  there  was  plenty  of  snow,  and  the 
sap  was  running  freely,  it  was  gathered  and 


18  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

transported  to  the  kettles  with  the  farm  team 
hitched  to  a  "bob"  sled  upon  which  was  a  cider 
barrel  with  one  head  knocked  out.  Ordinarily, 
however,  it  was  packed  in  large  pails  suspended 
from  a  wood  shoulder-yoke.  The  whole  was  an 
occupation  of  romantic  and  absorbing  interest, 
and  one  which  required  constant  attention.  The 
weird  night  scene  with  its  blazing  fire  of  birch 
and  beech  wood  beneath  the  boiling  kettles,  the 
light  it  shed  revealing  the  stately  trunks  and  in- 
tricate branches  of  the  trees  which  stood  within 
its  circle,  the  great  sea  of  impenetrable  dark- 
ness which  lay  beyond  in  all  directions,  out  of 
the  depths  of  which,  through  fancy,  came  the 
snarls  and  growls  of  wild  beasts,  mingled  with 
the  stealthy  footsteps  of  a  wily  Indian  foe,  ren- 
dered a  boy's  imagination  of  himself  as  the  hero 
of  a  "Beadle"  blood-curdling  experience  in  the 
Western  wilds  so  complete  that  standing  about 
the  fire  skimming  the  scum  from  the  kettles  and 
pouring  a  little  cold  sap  into  first  one  and  then 
another  as  they  threatened  to  boil  over,  he,  after 
a  time,  wasn't  quite  sure  that  his  fancies  were 
not  real,  and  the  fire  burned  lower  and  lower 
through  his  fear  to  go  outside  the  circle  of  light 
for  another  armful  of  wood. 

Gradually  the  snow  disappeared,  while  the 
nights  lost  their  frostiness  and  the  sap  ceased  to 
run,  having  finally  climbed  above  the  leaks  cre- 
ated by  the  augur  holes.  The  old  red  fox  that 
all  winter  long  had  at  intervals  appeared  on  the 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  19 

white  surface  of  the  hill  side  and  coaxed  the 
house  dog  (a  half-breed  hound)  together  with 
myself  to  chase  him,  had  now  abandoned  his 
winter  sports  and  devoted  himself  to  the  ar- 
rangement of  his  summer  campaign.  He  had 
lived  long  in  the  wooded  hills  about  the  place, 
and  seemed  to  have  waited  patiently  for  both  the 
dog  and  myself  to  reach  an  age  wherein  we 
would  be  of  service  to  him  in  the  line  of  exercise 
and  amusement.  There  were  numerous  foxes 
in  the  neighborhood,  but  this  old  fellow  was  pos- 
sessed of  an  individuality  that  made  identifica- 
tion easy.  He  would  come  down  out  of  the 
woods  into  the  open  field  on  the  hillside  in  plain 
view  of  the  house,  and  frisk  about  until  he  had 
attracted  the  dog's  attention,  who  would  at  once 
set  out  across  the  field,  baying  at  the  top  of  his 
voice.  While  the  fox  was  leading  him  in  a 
grand  circle  around  the  hill,  I  would  manage  to 
conceal  myself  in  the  edge  of  the  woodland 
armed  with  a  little  single-barreled,  muzzle-load- 
ing  shot  gun,  which  cost  twenty  "York  State 
shillings/'  and  of  a  pattern  made  especially  for 
the  amusement  of  boys  and  foxes  of  that  period. 
Finally  the  cry  of  the  old  half-breed  gave  warn- 
ing that  they  were  in  the  home  stretch.  Soon 
a  big  red  brush,  towed  by  an  extremely  animated 
little  body  would  appear  bobbing  gaily  along 
over  the  snow,  and  I  crouched  low  to  await  his 
destruction.  But  alas,  his  trail  led  him  past 
just  far  enough  down  in  the  field  to  be  out  of 
range.  His  coming  was  awaited  the  second 


20  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

time,  but  lie  fallowed  the  same  track.  Then  a 
station  was  established  down  in  the  field  nearer 
the  trail,  and  in  the  corner  of  a  rail  fence  where 
there  was  a  dense  thicket.  Around  he  came 
again,  but  this  time  his  path  led  far  away  \ip 
near  the  timber.  After  circling  the  hill  a  few 
more  times  and  letting  the  dog  gain  a  little  each 
time,  just  enough  to  keep  up  his  courage,  he 
would  suddenly  lead  out  straight  across  country 
and  take  the  dog  so  far  away  from  home  that 
he  would  have  just  time  to  return  and  get  rested 
up  for  the  following  day,  while  I  would  trudge 
back  to  the  house  and  warm  my  feet  and  get 
ready  to  do  the  chores. 

About  eight  or  nine  o'clock  at  night,  as  a 
rule,  the  dog  would  return,  tired  and  crestfallen, 
sniff  about  and  cast  sheepish  glances  of  inquiry 
as  to  what  had  become  of  the  fox,  then  gulp 
down  his  supper  and  dropping  heavily  on  the 
floor,  stretch  at  full  length  beside  the  kitchen 
stove;  and  while  he  slept  and  gave  forth  occa- 
sional yelps  as  in  his  dreams  he  renewed  the 
chase,  and  had  that  fox  at  times  almost  within 
his  grasp,  I  sat  beside  him  and  warmed  my 
boots  and  greased  them  with  a  melted  mixture 
of  tallow,  beeswax  and  lampblack,  to  be  ready  to 
resume  the  hopeless  task  upon  Reynard's  next 
invitation. 


But  spring  had  come  now ;  the  crafty  old  fox 
had    abandoned   his    winter   pastime,    and   the 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  21 

phoebe  bird  called  plaintively  from  the  bunch  of 
pussy  willows  down  by  the  spring.  The  flock  of 
crows  that  for  years  had  each  summer  engaged 
in  housekeeping  over  in  the  hemlocks  near  the 
edge  of  the  cornfield,  winged  their  way  up  from 
the  South,  and  being  a  little  early  for  planting 
time,  hovered  for  the  while  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  farm  buildings. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  preceding, 
I  had  shot  one  of  their  number  while  he  was 
engaged  in  sentinel  duty,  perched  on  the  head  of 
a  most  life-like  dummy,  armed  with  a.  formid- 
able wooden  gun  and  stationed  in  the  corn  field. 
The  balance  of  the  flock  were  busily  engaged  in 
pulling  up  the  corn  which  had  just  commenced 
to  appear  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  It 
was  the  ideal  time  for  feasting,  as  the  young 
sprouts  marked  accurately  the  position  of  the 
kernels,  and  saved  a  vast  amount  of  blind  scratch- 
ing to  find  them.  It  was  a  long  chance  shot, 
and  resulted  only  in  the  breaking  of  a  wing. 
Taking  him  to  the  house,  he  was  nursed  tenderly 
and  named  Elijah.  He  domesticated  rapidly, 
and  in  time  recovered,  but  remained  a  cripple 
for  life  so  far  as  flight  was  concerned.  Not- 
withstanding the  enjoyment  of  the  very  best  in- 
fluences, "Lije"  rapidly  developed  into  a  most 
notorious  thief,  and  delighted  in  doing  all  sorts 
of  low,  mean,  underhanded  acts  to  both  the  dog 
and  cat,  and  when  they  turned  upon  him,  could, 
by  taking  a  running  start,  fly  just  enough  to 


22  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

reach  the  top  of  the  fence  or  the  lower  limbs  of 
the  apple  trees.  Here  he  would  walk  sidewise, 
backward  and  forward,  and  looking  down  at 
them,  cock  his  head  first  on  one  side,  then  on  the 
other,  all  the  while  pouring  forth  a  torrent  of 
insulting  and  abusive  crow  language.  He  was 
a  wise  old  fellow,  however,  and  never  came 
down  at  once  after  they  had  departed,  but  would 
ofttimes  remain  perched  up  there  for  a  whole 
half  day  or  more,  according  to  the  seriousness 
of  the  offense,  and  in  sulky  silence  wait  pa- 
tiently for  time  to  heal  their  wounded  feelings 
and  restore  the  evenness  of  their  dispositions, 
meanwhile  employing  his  time  in  the  outlining 
of  some  new  deviltry,  such  for  instance  as  the 
overhauling  and  general  disturbance  of  a  wash- 
ing. His  antipathy  for  anything  white  was  in- 
tense. He  apparently  became  acquainted  with, 
and  kept  an  accurate  record  of  the  days  of  the 
week,  and  knew  when  Monday  came  as  well  as 
any  member  of  the  family.  There  was  nothing 
so  delighted  him,  or  that  he  looked  forward  to 
with  such  joyous  anticipation,  as  the  spreading 
of  a  nice  white  sheet  or  pillow  case  upon  the 
grass  to  dry,  at  the  first  sight  of  which  he  would 
hurry  away  down  to  the  mud  hole  where  the  pigs 
wallowed  and  paddle  about  in  the  black  mire 
until  his  feet  were  well  bedaubed,  then  tiptoe 
back  in  a  careful,  gingerly  way  to  avoid  as  near 
as  possible  any  loss  of  the  supply,  when  he 
would  march  in  all  directions  across  the  field  of 
white  linen,  stopping  at  intervals  to  look  back 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  23 

over  his  shoulder  and  admire  the  decoration, 
and  when  the  tracks  began  to  grow  at  all  dim 
would  suspend  operations  and  trot  back  down 
to  the  mud  hole  for  a  fresh  stock. 

One  bright  morning  the  following  spring, 
immediately  after  their  return  from  the  South, 
there  was  a  most  incessant  cawing  from  the  del- 
egation of  crows  perched  upon  the  ridge  pole  of 
the  barn,  upon  the  fences  and  in  the  apple  trees, 
while  Lije  sat  on  the  barnyard  gate  and  listened 
intently,  now  and  then  interpolating  an  inquiry, 
until  at  last  he  had  apparently  fully  informed 
himself  concerning  the  winter's  sojourn  in  the 
South,  in  which  he  had  been  unable  to  take  part. 


A  cunning  old  woodchuck  had  established 
himself  well  down  under  the  stone  fence  at  the 
far  side  of  the  potato  patch  north  of  the  barn, 
and  had  dwelt  there  in  security  for  so  long  a 
time  that  he  had  now  commenced  to  grow  gray. 
When  the  fox's  engagement  ended,  his  com- 
menced. He  knew  every  farmer's  dog  in  the 
neighborhood  and  had  induced  each  of  them  to 
spend  hours  in  frantic  digging  at  the  mouth 
of  his  burrough  while  he  laid  away  down  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole  in  stony  ground  under  a  huge 
rock  pile  and  chuckled.  When  the  dog,  ex- 
hausted and  with  toe  nails  bleeding,  dropped 
panting  for  a  time  on  the  pile  of  loose  earth  to 
rest,  the  old  fellow,  just  to  encourage  him  in  his 
work,  would  climb  up  near  the  mouth  of  the 


24  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

hole,  give  a  sharp  whistle  and  go  back,  while  the 
dog,  crazed  with  excitement,  would  tear  away  at 
the  hopeless  task  for  another  hour ;  then,  at  last, 
so  thoroughly  weary  and  disheartened  that  noth- 
ing could  induce  him  to  toil  longer,  he  would 
leave  for  home,  and  the  old  groundhog  would 
come  cautiously  forth,  climb  up  on  the  stone 
fence  and  sit  for  hours  watching  for  some  fresh 
dog  to  pass  along  the  highway  down  below. 
From  his  lookout  he  commanded  an  open  space 
in  all  directions  that  placed  him  well  beyond  the 
range  of  a  shotgun.  He,  like  the  old  red  fox, 
had  with  an  almost  paternal  interest  and  satis- 
faction, seemingly,  watched  me  evolve  from 
swaddling  clothes  to  a  stage  wherein  I  was  wont 
to  sit  beside  the  dog  at  the  mouth  of  the  hole  and 
urge  him  to  his  work,  while  he,  as  described, 
extended  him  occasional  encouragement  from 
within. 

Following  this  came  the  period  of  traps, 
which  seemed  to  amuse  the  old  fellow  im- 
mensely, and  he  never  failed  to  point  out  the 
faultiness  of  each  attempt  at  deception,  through 
some  evidence  of  its  discovery,  and  how  to  avoid 
its  purpose.  Occasionally,  when  in  his  estima- 
tion it  was  an  unpardonable  botch,  he  would  ex- 
press his  disapproval  and  contempt  by  turning 
the  trap  completely  over.  When  the  little 
twenty  shilling  shotgun  made  its  appearance, 
though  possessed  of  a  certain  element  of  danger, 
he  manifested  no  alarm  whatever,  other  than 
that  of  all  people  with  whom  I  came  in  contact, 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  25 

and  which  was  more  an  uneasiness  over  the 
safety  of  the  boy  himself  during  his  maiden  ex- 
perience with  a  gun  than  any  fear  whatever  of 
injury  to  his  own  person,  for  he  had  been  shot  at 
many  times  with  far  more  formidable  weapons 
than  this,  and  it  took  him  but  a  few  days  to  de- 
termine to  a  foot  just  how  much  liberty  he  could 
afford  to  allow  in  approaching  him,  for  he 
seemed  really  proud  of  my  efforts  and  rapid  de- 
velopment, and  wanted  to  humor  me  to  the  full- 
est extent  and  at  the  same  time  not  appear  cow- 
ardly and  unfair  or  take  too  many  chances  him- 
self. Every  form  of  strategy  was  employed 
whereby  to  get  within  a  little  closer  range  of 
the  old  fellow,  but  he  positively  declined  to 
grant  the  advantage.  Finally  a  method  was  in- 
augurated of  making  the  little  shotgun  carry 
farther,  or  extending  its  range.  A  man  who 
lived  over  in  "Gelder  Hollow"  owned  a  gun 
called  a  rifle,  and  forming  a  pretty  fair  idea  of 
its  principles,  a  piece  of  lead  pipe  was  cut  into 
large  slugs,  placed  together  compactly,  wrapped 
with  a  piece  of  strong  cloth  and  tied  tightly, 
making  a  wad  that  fitted  closely  in  the  muzzle 
of  the  little  shotgun,  then  ramming  it  down  sol- 
idly on  the  charge  of  powder  below  and  march- 
ing with  a  sort  of  privileged  and  intensely  hon- 
orable .  air,  born  of  a  thoroughly  understood 
agreement  between  the  woodchuck  and  myself, 
up  to  the  limit  of  approach  he  had  laid  down 
for  me,  and  while  engaged  in  a  series  of  very 
precise,  yet  scandalously  false  movements,  in- 


26  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

tended  to  impress  the  old  groundhog  with  an 
enormity  of  honor  and  conscientiousness  he  had 
never  yet  witnessed  in  seeking  to  avoid  the 
slightest  advantage,  managed  to  steal  a  few  feet 
over  the  line,  and  while  the  old  fellow's  vision 
was  still  bedimmed  by  his  admiration  of  the 
evident  principle  his  boy  friend  was  possessed 
of,  I  suddenly  whirled  and  fired  the  sack  full 
of  leaden  slugs  directly  at  him.  When  a  few 
minutes  later  I  had  fully  regained  conscious- 
ness, blood  was  flowing  freely  down  my  cheek, 
from  a  deep  cut  below  my  right  eye.  I  made 
one  attempt  to  wipe  it  away  with  my  right  hand, 
but  the  right  shoulder  refused  to  join  in  the 
operation.  Evidently  a  mule  had  kicked  me 
somewhere  in  that  neighborhood.  The  gun  lay 
upon  the  ground  some  distance  away,  a  tiny 
wreath  of  smoke  still  curling  upward  from  its 
muzzle,  like  the  faint  column  of  ascending  vapor 
that  long  afterward  marks  the  point  of  a  ter- 
rible volcanic  explosion.  I  looked  beyond;  the 
old  groundhog  had  climbed  to  the  summit  of 
the  rock  pile,  and  sat  silent  and  forlorn.  My 
return  to  consciousness  in  no  degree  seemed  to 
restore  him  to  his  former  self.  His  counte- 
nance and  entire  attitude  was  shrouded  in  the 
dense  folds  of  despair  and  disappointment  as  he 
gazed  sadly  and  silently  upon  the  now  naked 
villainy  of  the  boy  of  whom  he  had  expected  so 
much,  and  finally  upon  the  mass  of  blasted 
hopes  that  lay  between. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  27 

Finally  recovering  from  the  results  of  ex- 
perience in  increasing  the  range  of  the  gun,  and 
having  forfeited  all  further  confidence  or  con- 
sideration on  the  part  of  my  old  friend  the 
groundhog,  I  gathered  up  my  traps,  shouldered 
the  little  shotgun,  and  laden  with  these  and  a 
weight  of  guilt,  strolled  dejectedly  down  the 
road,  past  the  woodchuck  and  his  reproachful, 
yet  sympathetic  gaze,  as  sitting  above  the  rock 
pile  the  grizzled  and  venerable  old  patriarch 
gave  no  evidence  of  vindictiveness  or  ill  will, 
but  fully  determined  upon  the  decision  he  had 
formed,  yet  charitable  withal,  his  whole  manner 
seemed  to  say,  "Let  the  erring  boy  depart  in 
peace."  Then  on,  leaving  the  road  and  follow- 
ing the  intricate  windings  of  a  brooklet  down 
into  the  deep  dark  solitude  of  a  tamarack 
swamp,  well  away  from  the  scene  of  this  treach- 
erous act,  and  safe  from  the  dangers  of  social  in- 
tercourse or  communication  of  any  sort  between 
its  denizens  and  the  Avronged,  betrayed  and  sor- 
rowing woodchuck,  who  held  the  record  of  my 
past. 

Here  in  the  pools  and  mud  banks  dwelt  a 
well  organized  and  thrifty  family  of  muskrats, 
the  quiet  of  whose  home  life  remained,  so  far, 
undisturbed,  save  by  occasional  raids  upon  the 
younger  members  of  the  family  by  one  or  the 
other  of  a  pair  of  hen  hawks  whose  nest  for 
years  had  been  high  up  over  them  in  the  stately 
tamarack,  or  the  warning  screams  of  a  blue  jay, 
doing  lookout  duty  from  its  topmost  branch. 


28  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Pushing  on  into  the  tangle  of  tall  grass  and 
thicket  with  almost  noiseless  foot-steps  in  step- 
ping from  bog  to  bog,  no  great  distance  had  been 
reached  when  the  sudden  sound  arose  of  a  body 
entering  a  nearby  pool ;  not  a  violent  splash,  but 
the  soft,  harmonious  plunk,  arising  from  the  im- 
pact with  water  of  a  heavy  body  presenting  its 
least  resisting  surface.  This  was  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  another  and  more  distant  one.  Then 
intense  silence  reigned,  broken  only  by  the  oc- 
casional call  of  the  meddlesome  bluejay  far  up 
in  the  tamarack,  as  generously  and  indiscrimi- 
nately he  proclaimed  the  fact  to  the  entire 
swamp  life,  that  the  foe  still  lurked  in  their 
midst.  The  place  was  dark,  silent  and  uncheer- 
ful ;  dense  distrust  and  a  lack  of  welcome  made 
itself  felt  on  every  hand,  until  despair  finally 
possessed  me  at  ever  establishing  myself  in  these 
new  surroundings  upon  a  footing  of  privilege, 
confidence  and  good  fellowship  in  any  degree 
approaching  that  heretofore  enjoyed  on  the  part 
of  the  genial  old  fox  and  groundhog.  Raising 
the  gun  to  fire  at  the  impudent  bluejay  seated 
upon  his  lofty  perch,  then  just  in  time  recalling 
the  information  imparted  by  a  serious  old 
farmer  who  lived  neighbor,  that  "it  strained  a 
gun  terribly  to  shoot  at  anything  so  high  up," 
inclined  it  against  a  tree,  setting  the  traps  in 
such  cunning  ways,  there  remained  at  last  but 
one  fear,  and  that  was  of  the  tell-tale  bluejay 
who  sat  and  watched  from  above. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  29 

Far  over  to  the  west  in  the  belt  of  beech  and 
birch  woodland,  a  partridge  drummed  fearlessly 
and  alone.  Grasping  the  gun  and  guided  by 
the  occasional  calls,  he  was  at  last  located  in  a 
dense  thicket  of  underbrush  at  the  head  of  a 
little  hollow.  The  drumming  ceased  now,  yet 
he  was  in  there  somewhere,  it  was  certain; 
and  stealing  stealthily  forward  with  gun  cocked 
and  ready,  up  to  the  very  edge  of  the  tangle,  it 
was  equally  certain  that  he  would  never  leave 
there  alive.  Suddenly,  and  within  ten  feet,  he 
arose  with  a  whir-r-r  so  startling  that  I  jumped 
backward,  fell  over  a  rotten  log  and  discharged 
the  gun  into  the  ground  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion, then  scrambled  to  an  upright  position  just 
in  time  to  see  the  partridge  with  his  wings  set, 
sail  downward  to  another  place  of  concealment 
so  plainly  in  sight  that  he  knew  there  would  be 
no  difficulty  in  locating  it.  Reloading  the  gun, 
I  approached  the  second  hiding  place,  now  fully 
nerved  to  withstand  the  sudden  and  noisy  dem- 
onstration without  being  startled  in  the  least. 
Again  he  rose,  this  time  even  nearer  and  with 
greater  suddenness,  while  the  loud  and  spiteful 
whir-r-r  made  one's  ears  ring  and  the  very  leaves 
about  quake  and  rustle  on  the  trees.  Again  I 
jumped,  and  though  not  falling  or  accidentally 
discharging  the  gun,  stood  transfixed  and  en- 
tirely forgetting  to  shoot,  until  he  had  sailed 
downward  once  more  and  out  of  sight  behind  a 
little  knoll.  For  a  half  mile  or  more  he  flew 
from  cover  to  cover,  the  freedom  he  extended 


30  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

increasing  gradually,  as  it  became  more  and 
more  apparent  to  him,  with  what  little  actual 
danger  he  was  beset.  And  each  time  he  rose 
and  discharged  that  whir-r-r  upon  the  stilly  at- 
mosphere of  the  forest,  his  pursuer  made  the 
same  little  jump,  and  fired  the  gun  accidentally, 
or  forget  to  fire  it  at  all  until  he  was  well  out 
of  reach. 

Day  after  day  I  trudged  over  to  the  swamp, 
and,  approaching,  heard  the  same  old  warning 
cry  of  the  blue  jay,  followed  by  the  plunk,  plunk, 
plunk,  of  the  rats  as  they  entered  the  pools,  then 
examined  the  empty  traps  and  trudged  wearily 
home  again,  for  the  swamp  was  a  long  way  off, 
and  with  the  duties  at  home  could  seldom  find 
time  to  visit  it  save  by  arranging  to  do  such 
work  as  arose  by  "stents" ;  hence  concluded  to 
abandon  the  locality,  and  having  finished  the 
"stent"  for  the  following  Saturday,  journeyed 
over  to  the  swamp  and  gathered  up  the  traps, 
the  last  one  reached  being  over  on  the  east  side, 
where  a  belt  of  pines  bordered  the  marsh  for 
some  distance. 

Sitting  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  some 
distance  back  from  the  edge  of  a  pool,  I  waited 
for  the  time  in  a  final  enjoyment  of  the  dense 
forestry,  and  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  shot 
at  some  imprudent  rat,  who,  overjoyed  at  my 
departure,  might  show  himself  too  soon.  A 
honey  bee  buzzed  aimlessly  about  my  head  for 
so  long,  that,  tiring  of  its  attentions,  I  brushed 


KEMIXISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  31 

it  away.  It  returned  in  haste,  with  increased 
buzzing  and  persistence.  Then  I  struck  it  to 
the  ground  with  my  hat.  It  arose  quickly,  made 
a  swift,  short  circuit,  and  landed  on  the  back  of 
my  neck.  I  danced  about,  and  swung  my  hat 
wildly  in  defence,  as  a  dozen  more  made  quick 
determined  darts  at  my  bare  feet,  hands,  face 
and  neck,  then  stampeded  blindly  into  the  tim- 
ber until  they  had  given  up  the  chase.  Smart- 
ing and  aching  from  a  dozen  stings,  I  stole  cau- 
tiously back  to  recover  the  gun  and  traps,  when 
near  the  spot  I  had  been  sitting,  there  high  up 
on  the  trunk  of  a  huge  pine  tree,  appeared  a 
small,  irregular  opening,  through  which  a  con- 
tinuous swarm  of  bees  were  entering  and  de- 
parting. I  had  heard  of  "bee  trees,"  and 
had  spent  some  hours  with  a  little  box  with 
a  piece  of  window  glass  in  the  cover  and 
some  sugar  inside,  trying  to  "line"  them  to 
their  home,  but  had  never  yet  seen  one.  I  re- 
treated to  a  safe  distance  and  watched  them 
long  and  carefully,  so  long  in  fact,  that  it  was 
well  past  the  usual  time  for  getting  the  cows 
from  the  pasture  for  milking,  when  I  reached 
home,  but  hoping  to>  ward  off  the  greater  warmth 
of  the  reception,  which  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances would  have  been  expected,  through  a 
graphic  description  of  the  most  remarkable  "bee 
tree"  of  which  there  was  as  yet  any  record.  In 
any  event,  I  should  no  doubt  have  through  nat- 
ural excitement,  overlooked  nothing  in  the  line 
of  magnitude,  but  coupled  with  an  eagerness  to 


32  REMINISCENT    RAMBLIXGS. 

render  it  a  defense  against  punishment,  by 
arousing  an  enthusiasm  in  my  people  which 
would  cause  them  to  entirely  overlook  the  mat- 
ter of  tardiness,  I  made  the  tree  entirely  too 
big;  in  fact,  I  don't  recall  ever  since  having 
heard  of  so  large  a  tree. 

My  father  frowned,  muttered  something 
about  a  boy's  lying  to  his  own  folks,  got  out  his 
jack-knife  and  started  over  toward  a  big  bunch 
of  lilac  bushes  which  grew  in  a  corner  of  the 
dooryard  fence ;  and  I  knew  he  wasn't  going 
after  a  bouquet  for  me,  for  I  had  watched  him 
make  the  same  trip  before  on  similar  occasions. 
Standing  there  trying  to  figure  out  about  how 
big  a  "bee  tree"  really  had  to  be  to  furnish  a 
proper  peace  offering  in  a  case  of  this  kind,  my 
mother  interfered,  and  said  "there  might  be 
something  in  it,  and  anyhow,  I  shouldn't  be 
punished  until  it  was  proven  there  wasn't,"  and 
old  Jase  Winchell,  who  worked  around  the 
neighborhood  when  he  wasn't  hunting,  or  fish- 
ing, or  drunk,  and  who  had  been  hoeing  potatoes 
for  us  that  day,  got  up  from  the  hen  coop  where 
he  was  sitting,  and  removing  the  quid  of  tobacco 
from  his  mouth  preparatory  to  replacing  it  with 
a  fresh  one,  said  he  "believed  every  dog-goned 
word  of  it,  for  he  had  lined  mor'n  a  thousand 
bees  down  toward  the  swamp  in  the  last  two 
years,  but  somehow  or  'nother  couldn't  seem  to 
'meet  up'  with  the  place  where  they  went  to," 
and  my  father  finally  closed  the  knife  against 
his  hip,,  dropped  it  back  in  his  trousers  pocket, 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  33 

reached  down  and  broke  off  a  timothy  straw, 
meditatively  picked  his  teeth  with  it,  and  re- 
marked somewhat  skeptically,  "Well,  we'll  see." 

The  sun  had  sometime  past  set,  and  but  a 
faint  reflection  of  its  light  still  lingered  in  the 
west,  when  father  and  Jase,  in  company  with 
myself  as  guide,  and  provided  with  a  sharp  ax, 
a  lantern  and  a  wooden  milk  pail,  together  with 
several  pairs  of  sheepskin  mittens  for  the  hands, 
and  my  mother's  entire  stock  of  veils  for  the 
protection  of  our  heads  and  necks,  single-filed 
down  across  the  fields,  with  myself  in  the  lead. 

A  feeling  of  grave  responsibility  and  dread 
uncertainty  oppressed  me,  as  I  trudged  forward 
leading  the  way,  which  was  heightened  by  the 
plaintive  and  sympathetic  notes  of  the  "Whip- 
poor-will,"  who,  from  somewhere  over  in  the 
darkness  of  the  forest  beyond,  called  at  regular 
intervals  in  tones  of  sadness  and  distrust. 

It  was  now  quite  dark  when  we  reached  the 
swamp,  and  herein  the  shadows  of  its  tall  trees 
and  tangle  shut  out  the  dim  light  which  existed, 
and  when,  in  crossing  to  the  pine  belt  on  the 
other  side,  my  father  in  the  darkness  mistook  a 
bunch  of  grass  for  a  bog,  and  went  down  deep  in 
the  mire  and  water,  it  was  certain  from  several 
remarks  which  escaped  him  as  he  floundered 
about,  and  later  while  he  sat  on  the  bank  and 
pulled  off  his  boots  and  emptied  them,  that  there 
had  to  be  a  bee  tree  over  there  in  the  pines,  and 
a  big  one,  too. 


34  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

When  at  last  we  reached  it,  both  himself 
and  Jase  stopped  for  a  time  and  looked  admir- 
ingly upward  along  its  towering  trunk.  All 
was  silent,  and  the  intense  darkness  was  dis- 
turbed only  by  the  little  circle  of  light  which 
surrounded  the  old  tallow  candle  lantern.  My 
father,  taking  the  ax  from  Jase,  and  stepping 
over  to  the  tree  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  knew 
just  what  to  do  first  in  the  case,  and  just  how  to 
do  it,  hit  the  tree  a  sharp  rap  to  ascertain  if  it 
were  hollow ;  then  as  he  reached  backward  to  de- 
liver another  blow  higher  up,  a  bee  stung  him 
on  the  nose;  and  as  he  dropped  the  ax  and 
grabbed  the  injured  member  with  both  hands, 
two  others  stung  him  on  the  neck.  While  he 
jumped  about  and  howled  with  pain,  I  retreated 
to  a  safe  point  where  I  could  sympathize  with 
him,  and  incidentally  gloat  over  the  weight  of 
evidence  he  was  acquiring  in  support  of  my 
statements.  It  was  something  he  had  sternly  de- 
manded, and  surely  he  couldn't  hope  to  find  a 
bee  tree  without  bees. 

Carefully  arranging  the  sheepskin  mittens 
and  veils,  and  starting  a  smudge  at  the  foot  of 
the  tree,  the  attack  began.  Jase  wielded  the  ax, 
cautiously  at  first,  slightly  hesitating  between 
each  stroke  to  assure  himself  that  his  fortifica- 
tions were  impregnable,  as  the  bees  swarmed 
downward  in  countless  numbers  to  the  defense 
of  their  home.  Satisfied  of  his  absolute  secur- 
ity, he  now  utterly  ignored  the  enemy,  and 
slashed  away  vigorously.  Suddenly  the  ax,  in 


REMINISCENT    RAM  BUNGS.  35 

descending,  curved  from  its  course,  flew  from  his 
grasp  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness,  while 
Jase  hopped  wildly  about  on  one  foot,  clinging 
tenaciously  to  the  opposite  leg  with  one  hand, 
while  with  the  other  he  made  frantic  grabs  here 
and  there,  each  grab  accompanied  by  an  excited 
expression  unnecessary  to  repeat.  A  bee  bewil- 
dered by  the  light  and  smoke  had  wandered 
from  the  ranks,  and  in  groping  about  in  search 
of  his  bearings,  had  strolled  upward  and  along 
the  inside  of  a  leg  of  Jase's  trousers,  and  Jase 
had  at  last  "met  up"  with  the  bee  tree  he  had 
been  hunting. 

Finally  the  tree  was  felled,  and  sounding 
along  its  trunk  a  point  was  selected  for  an  open- 
ing. Gradually  the  section  was  removed  by 
making  the  cuts  about  two  feet  apart,  and  split- 
ting away  the  intervening  material  until  there 
lay  exposed  a  field  of  honey,  filling  the  entire 
opening,  and  extending  both  upward  and  down- 
ward in  the  trunk  indefinitely. 

The  wildest  excitement  now  prevailed;  and 
my  father's  estimate  of  the  volume  of  honey  was 
even  less  conservative  than  mine  had  been  in  de- 
scribing the  size  of  the  tree,  and  hastily  I  was 
dispatched  to  the  house  for  more  receptacles. 
Returning,  my  mother  accompanied  me,  each  of 
us  with  an  additional  milk  pail,  while  between 
us  we  toted  a  good-sized  washtub.  For  the  fol- 
lowing hour  it  simply  rained  honey  in  those 
woods,  and  when  we  reached  home  and  had 
weighed  up  the  entire  cargo  with  the  steelyards, 


36  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

and  then  emptied  the  receptacles  and  weighed 
them,  and  I  had,  in  less  than  an  hour,  figured 
the  whole  thing  up  on  my  slate,  there  appeared 
as  a  net  result,  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds 
of  honey,  and  old  Jase  (who  couldn't  read  or 
write  a  word)  looked  up  with  sudden  amaze- 
ment when  I  announced  the  result,  then  came, 
and  looking  over  my  shoulder  examined  the  fig- 
ures carefully,  and  said  he  "Guessed  mebbe 
'twas  all  right,  but  if  he'd  bin  guessin'  he'd  sot 
it  more'n  that." 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  life  and  teachings  of  a  boy  raised  on  a 
farm  in  Northern  Xew  York  as  late  at  least  as 
the  third  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  was 
not  of  a  nature  amongst  other  things  that  tended 
to  cultivate  in  him  any  extravagant  tastes  or  Jav- 
ish  expenditures  in  the  gratification  of  rapidly 
growing  wants.  A  ten-cent  straw  hat,  a  cotton 
shirt  and  a  pair  of  blue  jean  trousers  did  him 
nicely  for  summer  wear,  and  the  style  never 
changed.  The  leather  that  covered  his  feet, 
though  holes  were  punched  in  it  at  times  (as  in 
the  case  of  every  bare-footed  boy),  was  of  a  na- 
ture that  did  its  own  repairing.  The  suit  of 
sheep's  gray,  or  other  afull  cloth"  that  did  ser- 
vice upon  dress  occasions  during  the  summer, 
had  the  new  worn  off,  and  was  thoroughly  sea- 
soned for  active  service  during  the  following 
winter,  accompanied  by  a  pair  of  cow  hide 
boots  with  red  tops,  and  soles  fastened  on  with 
wooden  pegs.  The  cloth  was  secured  in  ex- 
change for  stuff  raised  on  the  farm,  and  was 
cut  and  made  up  at  home  by  an  itinerant  tailor- 
ess,  who  came  and  boarded  and  roomed  at  the 
house  until  the  work  was  finished.  She  never 
took  any  measurements  save  heighth,  and  then 
allowed  about  six  inches  for  growth  during  the 
existence  of  the  suit.  This  had  the  effect  of 


38  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

compelling  the  sleeves  of  the  coat,  and  the  legs 
of  the  trousers  to  be  worn  rolled  up  until  the 
suit  was  pretty  well  worn  out.  The  trousers 
were  lined  all  the  way  through  with  a  coarse 
cotton  cloth.  The  body  of  the  coat  was  lined 
with  a  part  of  an  old  alpaca  dress  (which  had 
been  saved  for  the  purpose) ,  with  a  layer  of  cot- 
ton batting  between  the  lining  and  the  cloth. 
The  coat  sleeves  were  lined  with  a  Turkey  red 
calico  and  the  suit  was  complete. 

His  stockings  and  mittens  were  made  from 
the  wool  of  the  sheep  raised  on  the  farm.  In 
the  springtime  they  wrere  washed  in  a  deep  hole 
in  the  brook,  then  shorn  and  the  wool  carded  and 
formed  into  little  rolls  of  about  two  feet  in 
length  and  a  half  inch  in  diameter.  These 
were  then  spun  into  yarn  upon  the  old  spinning 
wheel  with  its  wooden  pulley  of  great  diameter, 
belted  with  a  cord  to  the  spindle,  which  made 
rapid  revolutions  as  the  wheel  was  spasmodic- 
ally revolved  with  the  right  hand,  while  the  left 
manipulated  the  roll.  The  yarn  was  then 
reeled  into  hanks,  which  were  submerged  for  the 
proper  time  in  a  blue  dye  made  of  indigo.  The 
hanks  being  first  tied  tightly  at  intervals  of 
about  two  inches,  which  had  the  effect  of  pro- 
tecting these  compressed  sections  from  the  dye, 
and  producing  small  white  spots  at  regular  dis- 
tances along  the  thread,  and  gave  to  the  mittens 
and  stockings  a  speckled  pattern.  After  dye- 
ing, the  hanks  of  yarn  were  wound  into  balls, 
and  were  then  ready  for  knitting. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  39 

No  artfully  draped  show  windows  filled  with 
seductive  suits  of  various  styles,  no  array  of 
gaudily-painted  sleds  and  highly-polished  skates 
of  skilled  manufacture,  no  golf,  lawn  tennis,  or 
ping  pong  sets;  no  frequently  advanced  models 
of  bicycles,  or  alluring  matinees  of  weekly  occur- 
rence presented  their  temptations  daily,  and 
filled  the  mind  with  envy  and  longing.  No 
stately  soda  fountains,  with  arctic  decorations, 
produced  frequent  thirsts,  each  of  which  re- 
quired the  expenditure  of  a  nickel  to  quench. 
But  in  place  of  these  highly  colored,  stale  and 
expensive  concoctions,  he  gathered  the  dande- 
lion, the  burdock,  and  the  bark  of  the  birch 
tree,  which  was  boiled  and  brewed  into  a  whole- 
some drink.  He  gathered  and  ate  the  nuts  of 
the  hickory,  the  chestnut,  and  the  butternut 
trees,  and  instead  of  squandering  a  dime  for 
poisonous  and  sickening  candies,  quietly  ex- 
tracted a  hunk  of  maple  sugar  from  the  ample 
store. 

As  he  evolved  to  that  stage  of  manhood  that 
craved  the  use  of  tobacco,  not  through  an  actual 
taste  of  the  weed,  but  wholly  from  a  desire  to 
appear  manly  and  full-fledged,  his  first  step 
was  a  cigar  made  from  a  section  of  the  wild 
grape  vine.  From  which  he  rapidly  evolved  to 
the  clandestine  use  of  his  father's  pipe.  The 
cigarette  was  a  stranger;  and  had  it  presented 
itself  would  have  met  with  but  little  favor, 
through  its  expensiveness  and  effeminacy. 


40  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

Iii  such  manner  passed  the  life  of  a  boy  of 
this  time  and  locality,  until  finally  he  had  been 
through  all  the  books  that  were  taught  in  the 
common  schools  round  about,  and  perchance,  in 
case  of  uncommon  affluence  and  advanced  ideas 
on  the  part  of  his  parents,  and  some  natural  de- 
sire on  his  own  part,  was  sent  away  to  college, 
a  school  away  off  somewhere  outside  the  county, 
as  remote  and  fanciful  in  the  minds  of  the  rural 
masses  as  some  temple  of  teaching  in  the  in- 
terior of  India  might  be  to  the  fairly  well  in- 
formed of  to-day.  (Reference  is  made  wholly 
to  the  boy  in  such  case,  as  in  that  section,  the 
idea  of  educating  a  girl  along  the  higher,  more 
useful  and  independent  lines  was  then  regarded 
as  absurd.) 

Instances,  however,  of  extravagant  and  os- 
tentatious display  of  learned  taste  were  rare. 
About  the  only  case  that  had  ever  occurred  in 
the  neighborhood  was  that  of  old  Ebenezer 
Savage,  who  owned  a  farm  over  on  the  main 
road  leading  from  the  Corners  to  North  Gran- 
ville,  who  some  twenty-five  years  previous  had 
sent  his  son  Josiah  "through  college."  As  to  the 
particular  college  he  attended,  evidence  is  lack- 
ing ;  and  it  yet  remains  a  question  as  to  its  ever 
having  occurred  to  a  single  resident  of  the  neigh- 
borhood that  there  was  more  than  one.  Never- 
theless it  was  the  only  great  educational  event 
that  had  occurred  in  all  that  section  preceding 
the  writer's  departure  therefrom,  and  was  still 
being  discussed  at  every  fireside  at  regular  in- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  41 

tervals  and  with  breathless  interest,  particu- 
larly that  portion  of  the  affair  relating  to  the 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  same  had  cost  the 
"old  man." 

Josiah  had  been  clear  through  college,  and 
returned  home  to  the  farm  some  ten  or  a  dozen 
years  before  the  writer  was  born ;  up  to  which 
time  the  neighbors  all  agreed  he  had  never  done 
a  stroke  of  work,  and  after  which,  the  writer  is 
willing  to  swear  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge 
and  belief,  he  never  violated  his  principles  in 
this  respect.  And  it  was  right  and  proper  he 
shouldn't,  for  "Cy"  was  too  rare  a  specimen, 
and  it  wasn't  a  business  proposition  from  any 
point  of  view  to  mar  and  soil  and  bedim  this 
thousand-dollar  job  of  polishing,  by  subjecting 
it  to  the  rough  and  undignified  service  of  dig- 
ging potatoes,  building  stone  wall  and  chopping 
cord  wood,  and  the  whole  community  seemed  to 
feel  that  way  about  it  too,  particularly  so  long 
as  his  father  fed  and  clothed  him,  and  it  didn't 
cost  them  anything.  They  regarded  him  as  a 
sort  of  a  community  pride,  and  openly  boasted 
that  the  Corners  had  a  man  that  had  "better 
learnin'  "  than  any  man  within  nine  miles  of 
there.  The  standard  of  education  he  had  ac- 
quired impressed  the  neighbors  as  extremely 
high.  It  also  seemed  entirely  beyond  the  com- 
prehension of  the  most  learned  and  constant 
readers  of  the  New  York  Weekly  Tribune  to  be 
found  in  their  midst.  It  was  the  regular  high- 
grade  stock  article  that  the  college  of  that  day 


42  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

dealt  out,  a  curriculum  almost  equal  to  that  of 
the  public  high  school  of  to-day. 

For  twenty-fire  years  or  more  Josiah  spent 
his  time  in  "setting"  on  his  father's  front  porch, 
lighting  up  the  dense  ignorance  not  only  of  his 
own  home,  but  that  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 
A  lone  intellectual  light-house,  as  it  were,  in  the 
midst  of  the  little  sea  of  dark,  deep,  impene- 
trable primitive  ideas  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded. Then  he  would  make  a  regular  trip 
each  day  up  to  North  Granville,  and  "set"  on 
the  counter  in  old  Bob  Dayton's  store,  and  read 
a  borrowed  copy  of  the  afore-mentioned  New 
York  Tribune,  edited  by  Horace  Greeley.  Hor- 
ace was  the  product  of  a  little  town  called  Poult- 
ney,  but  a  short  distance  over  the  line  in  Ver- 
mont, and  the  folks  each  side  of  the  line  were 
equally  proud  of  him,  and  had  grown  to  regard 
his  doctrines  as  gospel  truths,  and  no  good,  gen- 
uine dyed-in-the-wool  "Black"  Republican  ever 
assumed  to  ask  any  further  questions,  and  there 
weren't  any  followers  of  any  other  political  creed 
around  there,  at  least  if  there  were  they  never 
voted.  And  so,  when  Cy  had  carefully  noted 
all  of  Greeley's  latest  utterances,  and  in  regular 
order  engaged  in  a  discussion  of  them,  inter- 
spersed with  occasional  criticisms,  and  a  shower 
of  Latin  quotations,  the  old  farmers  sat  about 
on  boxes  and  nail  kegs  and  chewed  "fine  cut" 
and  whittled,  and  considered  the  advisability  of 
the  dominance  of  higher  education  over  old-time 
political  faith. 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  43 

The  time  finally  came  when  the  writer  had 
mastered  all  the  branches  of  learning  dealt  in  at 
the  old  red  school  house  at  the  Corners,  and  like 
Josiah  Savage,  was  sent  away  to  school.  But, 
unlike  in  his  case,  came  home  each  night  and 
did  the  chores  as  usual,  for  the  school  was  less 
than  three  miles  distant ;  it  was  the  old  Academy 
up  at  North  Granville,  a  notable  structure  in 
its  day,  and  its  date  of  erection  not  far  removed 
from  that  of  the  "regular  meeting  house"  at 
Truthville,  while  its  location  was  near  the  same. 

A  year  and  more  was  spent  tramping  for- 
ward and  back  over  the  route,  which  led  partly 
through  a  cow  pasture,  then  through  the  great 
belt  of  woodland  that  crowned  the  summit  of 
the  hill,  then  down  through  a  long  lane  and  into 
the  main  street  of  the  village  below. 

Later  the  family  residence  became  changed 
to  the  settlements,  as  it  were,  and  to  the  sub- 
urbs of  a  little  hamlet  called  Comstock's  Land- 
ing, on  the  line  of  the  Eensselaer  and  Saratoga 
Railway,  and  the  Champlain  Canal,  some  seven 
miles  distant.  It  was  a  little  settlement  or  land- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  canal,  created  away  back 
in  the  forties  by  Peter  Comstock,  who,  rising 
rapidly  from  the  ranks,  had  acquired  an  estate 
at  this  point,  at  the  same  time  bursting  with  stu- 
pefying effect  upon  the  unprepared  minds  of 
the  region  as  a  Napoleon  of  transportation. 

He  established  on  the  canal,  as  part  of  a 
rapid  transit  system  between  New  York  and 
Montreal,  a  line  of  fast  boats,  drawn  by  mules 


44  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

and  known  as  "Packets."  To  connect  with 
these  he  placed  on  Lake  Champlain  a  steamboat 
named  "Saltus,"  a  boat  then  possessed  of  reck- 
less speed  and  great  splendor.  His  ambition 
was  boundless ;  and  he  became  known  all  along 
the  line  between  the  cities  aforementioned,  and 
even  so  far  off  the  line  as  at  Truthville  and 
the  Corners.  He  had  some  time  since  laid 
down  the  reins  of  active  business,  and  the  rail- 
way had  come  and  paralleled  the  canal,  and  the 
swift-going  packets  were  in  disuse,  and  other 
faster  and  grander  steamboats  on  the  lake  had 
robbed  the  Saltus  of  her  glory.  Every  boy 
about  the  Corners  longed  to  view  the  scene  of 
this  intense  civilization  and  excitement,  past 
and  present ;  but  it  was  far  away,  and  only  the 
older  members  of  the  community,  who  in  the 
fall  of  the  year  had, hauled  potatoes  there  to 
market,  had  ever  seen  it.  And  now  the  very 
thought  of  being  permitted  to  actually  reside 
there,  and  see  the  long  trains  of  cars  pass  daily, 
and  watch  the  huge  canal  boats  plow  their  way 
through  the  deep,  dark  waters  of  the  canal,  pos- 
sessed one  with  a  keen  sense  of  the  hopelessness 
and  desolation  that  surrounded  those  being  left 
behind.  _i_ 

Farming  was  also  the  main  industry  about 
the  Landing,  and  the  boys  here  differed  little 
from  the  boys  about  the  Corner,  save  and  except 
added  hours  of  swimming  and  fishing,  induced 
through  vastly  increased  facilities  and  lack  of 
watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  household. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  45 

Their  education  also,  amongst  a  chosen  few 
only,  reached  its  culminating  point  at  the  Old 
Academy  at  Xorth  Granville.  Then,  as  about 
the  Corners,  a  post  graduateship  invariably  and 
immediately  followed  at  some  calling  which 
would  cleanse  the  system  of  any  idle  or  sluggish 
tendencies  acquired  meanwhile.  The  writer  was 
under  the  mastery  of  an  educator  named  Dona- 
ahue,  a  stone  mason  for  the  Railway  Company, 
as  his  assistant  in  the  construction  of  a  line  of 
piers  for  a  foot  bridge  to  reach  the  railway  sta- 
tion. It  was  an  unimportant  service  and  con- 
sisted simply  in  shoveling  and  screening  the 
sand  and  carrying  the  water  and  mixing  the 
mortar  and  carrying  it  in  a  hod  and  dumping  it 
on  a  platform  and  wheeling  the  stone  and  laying 
them  down  where  they  were  handy  for  him  to 
reach  and  helping  him  lift  all  the  big  ones  and 
put  them  in  place,  while  Donahue  did  all  the 
balance  of  the  work  himself. 

Donahue  was  a  man  of  huge  proportions  and 
possessed  in  a  marked  degree  the  typical  charac- 
teristics of  his  countrymen,  notably  a  blandish- 
ment of  speech,  coupled  with  certain  manners 
and  movements,  such  as  the  elevation  of  the 
trousers  through  a  fore  and  aft  tug  at  the  waist- 
band, accompanied  by  an  upward  side  glance  at 
the  sun,  which,  together  with  certain  other  man- 
oeuvres, indicated  intense  action  but  really  ac- 
complished little. 

At  first  one  was  rather  inclined  to  fear  the 
man;  his  loud  and  constant  exercise  of  voice  in 


46  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

giving  orders,  together  with  his  apparent  hurry 
and  bustle,  created  terrifying  visions  of  ceaseless 
toil.  However,  after  a  brief  period  of  service, 
there  Avas  gained  gradually  and  almost  uncon- 
sciously a  fairly  accurate  measure  of  him,  so 
thajt  in  the  very  midst  of  his  most  violent  volleys 
of  rebuke,  it  became  easy  to  maintain  an  indif- 
ferent and  undisturbed  demeanor,  and  in  fact 
difficult  to  avoid  cultivating  a  most  peculiar 
fancy  for  the  man  and  his  ways  that  occupied 
one's  mind  almost  to  absent-mindedness.  Many 
of  his  wajrs,  in  fact,  his  whole  system,  when 
analyzed,  were  not  so  wholly  void  of  sense  as  the 
casual  observer  might  infer.  Little  by  little  the 
fact  was  deduced  that  in  the  great  struggle  be- 
tween labor  and  capital,  labor  had  in  Donahue  a 
mighty  defense.  ]STot  that  of  incendiary  speech 
or  violent  act,  but  the  possession  of  a  strategical 
and  diplomatic  system,  so  fathomless,  subtle  and 
concealed,  as  to  carry  the  conviction  of  honesty 
of  purpose  well  home  to  the  heart  of  the  most 
dissatisfied  employer.  Under  Donahue's  magni- 
ficently misleading  system  the  railway  manage- 
ment were  induced  to  maintain  an  agreeable  and 
thoroughly  satisfied  attitude  relative  to  the  ser- 
vice they  were  receiving  during  the  progress  of 
the  work.  In  a  boy  of  impressionable  age,  who 
was  at  all  an  apt  student,  there  was  at  last,  per- 
haps, as  between  the  boy  and  Donahue,  little  to 
choose.  -r- 

Mr.  Baker  was  a  great  railway  man.     He 
was  general  manager  of  the  road  which  ran 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  47 

through  the  little  hamlet  of  Comstocks  where  he 
lived,  and  also  of  another  line  known  as  "The 
Rutland  and  Washington/'  extending  from 
Eagle  Bridge  in  New  York  to  Rutland  in  Ver- 
mont, and  which  in  its  course  followed  closely 
the  boundary  between  the  two  states,  dodging 
repeatedly  across  the  line,  first  into  one  state 
and  then  into  the  other,  as  though  avoiding  the 
sheriffs  of  the  different  counties  through  which 
it  passed.  It  was  a  home  institution,  and  built 
largely  by  the  farmers  and  merchants  along  the 
line;  while  the  trainmen  were  nearly  all  farm- 
ers' sons,  at  whose  homes,  located  not  too  far  dis- 
tant from  the  track,  the  trains  frequently 
stopped,  and  all  hands  went  over  and  feasted  on 
doughnuts  and  pie,  and  slaked  their  thirst  with 
buttermilk  and  hard  cider.  And  ofttinies  a 
neighboring  farmer's  daughter,  the  sweetheart  of 
one  of  the  boys  in  the  cab  of  the  engine,  or  far- 
ther back  in  the  cars,  would  come  down  by  the 
side  of  the  track  and  wave  a  greeting  to  the 
loved  one  with  her  sunbonnet ;  and  the  engineer 
would  stop  to  make  sure  whether  the  signal 
meant  danger  to  the  whole  train,  or  only  to  the 
individual. 

And  now  wrhen  the  piers  were  finished  and 
Donahue  had  departed,  I  lounged  at  my  head- 
quarters in  the  old  covered  bridge  that  spanned 
the  canal,  and  viewed  with  discontent  the  now 
completed  foot  bridge  that  led  across  the  marsh 
to  the  station,  and  watched  the  busy  bustling 


48  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

engines  and  the  bright  painted  cars  as  they 
passed,  and  envied  their  attendants,  who  seemed 
never  without  an  occupation ;  and  then  in  diver- 
sion and  to  break  the  train  of  unhappy  thought, 
dropped  a  pebble  through  a  crack  in  the  floor 
upon  the  head  of  an  unsuspecting  boatman  as, 
leaning  lazily  against  the  tiller,  he  passed  slowly 
underneath,  and  chuckled  as  he  raved  at  ran- 
dom; and  relief  possessed  me  for  the  time  that 
I  was  not  alone  in  the  world,  and  that  others 
had  troubles  beside  myself. 

The  regular  passenger  train  from  the  South 
came  rattling  down  through  the  rock  cut  and 
pulled  up  at  the  station.  A  single  passenger 
dismounted,  and  started  briskly  across  the  new 
foot  bridge,  stopping  suddenly  above  each  pier 
and  leaning  far  out  over  the  rail,  carefully  and 
critically  examining  the  work  below.  It  was 
Mr.  Baker;  the  job  seemed  to  please  him,  and 
hurrying  forward  he  entered  the  bridge.  I 
quickly  dropped  the  pine  stick  being  whittled, 
slipped  the  knife  in  my  trousers  pocket,  and  as- 
sumed a  serious,  thoughtful  air ;  for  I  knew  the 
man,  and  that  in  all  his  long,  active  career  he 
had  never  found  time  to  whittle;  and  while  I 
managed  to  quite  effectually  cover  the  shavings 
with  my  feet,  he  stopped  and  said:  "You  and 
Donahue  seem  to  have  done  a  fine  •  job  over 
there ;  suppose  you  could  do  as  well  at  something 
else?  There's  a  vacancy  over  on  the  Rutland 
and  Washington  as  clerk  and  timekeeper  of  the 
shops  at  Salem;  get  ready  to  leave  to-morrow 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  49 

and  come  to  the  house  for  your  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  the  master  mechanic,  Mr.  Fred  Keg- 
ler." 

The  matter  of  calling  for  the  letter  was  dis- 
tasteful. I  much  preferred  he  would  leave  it  at 
some  out-of-the-way  place  where  I  could  find  it. 
It  was  promptly  prepared,  however,  and  picking 
it  up  and  retaining  it  for  the  time,  he  turned 
about  in  his  chair  and  facing  me  commenced  an 
address.  We  will  not  attempt  to  repeat  it  here. 
Few  have  grown  to  manhood  or  womanhood  and 
failed  to  receive  it  at  some  time  from  some 
source.  It  was  the  one  thing  dreaded  in  going 
for  the  letter.  It  has  always  been  a  part  of  the 
programme.  ~No  boy  ever  yet  escaped  it  under 
similar  circumstances. 

Escaping  to  the  grounds,  Tim  Harrigan,  the 
stable  man,  lay  in  wait,  and  farther  on  old  Ly- 
man  Rich,  the  carpenter  of  the  estate,  and  others, 
not  a  soul  of  whom  shirked  their  duty  in  stock- 
ing me  up  with  blessings  and  advice,  until  the 
impression  long  remained  that  if  all  boys  were  to 
grow  great  and  good  proportionately  with  these 
possessions,  certainly  I  had  gained  a  great  han- 
dicap in  the  race  over  all  others. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  fol- 
lowing when  the  little  passenger  train  of  two 
coaches  and  a  baggage  car  (drawn  by  the  "Hor- 
ace Clark,"  a  wheezy,  wood-burning  locomotive, 
with  a  huge  flaring  smokestack,  and  with  boiler 
and  cylinders  glistening  with  sheet  brass,  and 


50  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

the  tender  gaudily  painted  with  an  ornate  border 
around  its  sides  forming  a  panel,  and  the  stars 
and  stripes  in  each  corner  and  the  name  in  huge 
letters  in  the  center,  and  again  on  each  side  of 
the  cab  under  the  window  in  case  the  first  might 
be  overlooked),  after  stopping  at  the  little  ham- 
let of  Rupert  on  the  Vermont  side,  took  water  at 
the  tank,  then  moved  a  little  further  down  the 
track  to  a  huge  pile,  where  the  conductor,  brake- 
man,  baggageman,  station  agent  and  many  of  the 
passengers,  tossed  wood  aboard  until  the  tender 
was  piled  high ;  when  the  brakes  were  let  loose, 
the  wheel  spun  'round  as  they  released  their 
hold,  and  the  train  rattled  on  down  the  grade 
and  across  the  line  into  York  State  for  the  last 
time  on  the  journey  south,  and  finally  brought 
up  at  the  station  of  Salem.  The  conductor  el- 
bowed his  way  through  the  crowd  with  a  haughty 
privilege,  as  he  sought  the  agent  in  sending  a 
dispatch  down  the  line  to  another  train  whereby 
to  arrange  a  meeting  place;  for  the  conductor 
was  a  very  important  personage  in  those  days 
and  did  his  own  train  dispatching,  and  sat  at 
the  head  of  the  table  at  the  dinner  stations  (when 
the  road  was  of  sufficient  length  to  require  a 
dinner  station,  which  was  seldom).  His  rank 
protected  him  from  all  the  little  petty  annoy- 
ances of  the  present-day  conductor,  and  he 
treated  the  "spotter''  with  absolute  contempt  and 
indifference  while  he  made  change  and  chatted 
pleasantly  with  the  "cash  fare,"  and  frowned 
severelv  at  the  holder  of  a  ticket. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  51 

It  was  a  great  crowd  of  fifty  or  more  people 
at  the  station  this  day  when  the  train  arrived, 
and  marveling  greatly  at  the  demonstration,  a 
faint  suspicion  finally  presented  itself  that  all 
this  might  possibly  be  clue  to  the  expected  arrival 
of  the  new  timekeeper. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

The  train  pulled  away  from  the  station,  the 
loungers  gradually  dispersed,  following  down 
the  main  street  in  the  wake  of  the  old  village 
postmaster  and  his  mail  bag.  Timidly  en- 
tering the  waiting  room,  Mr.  Kegler,  the  master 
mechanic,  was  located,  and  the  letter  tremblingly 
presented.  Beside  him  stood  the  superintendent 
of  the  division,  Mr.  Z.  V.  K.  Wilson,  to  whom 
(after  reading  the  letter  carefully  and  shoving 
it  in  a  side  pocket  of  his  coat)  an  introduction 
followed.  Mr.  Wilson  was  the  typical  railway 
superintendent  of  that  day,  in  which  such  lordly 
and  responsible  positions  were  intrusted  only  to 
men  of  ripe  years,  whose  dignified  inertness 
seemed  indispensable  and  more  to  be  relied  upon 
than  the  activity,  feverish  anxiety,  and  unre- 
strained zealousness  of  one  whose  years  yet 
lacked  the  number  requisite  to  guarantee  fixed 
habits  and  unswerving  character.  He  was  a 
somewhat  pudgy,  and  rather  elderly  looking 
gentleman,  with  nose  glasses,  lengthy  side  whis- 
kers and  a  little  Astrakhan  cap,  cylindrical  in 
shape  and  with  no  fore-piece;  and  was  unmis- 
takably a  great  man,  for  a  locomotive  named  for 
him  stood  in  the  yard  near  by,  and  the  long 
array  of  capital  letters  on  tender  and  cab  at- 
tracted the  attention  and  impressed  one  with  the 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  53 

belief  that  he  must  certainly  be  of  importance 
or  they  would  not  have  employed  so  much  alpha- 
bet in  naming  him,  and  later  so  much  paint  in 
placing  it  upon  the  locomotive. 

In  critical  examination  Mr.  Wilson  adjusted 
his  nose  glasses  carefully,  and  looking  first  en- 
tirely over  the  top  of  my  head,  finally  got  the 
range  and  lowered  the  line  of  sight  gradually 
until  it  rested  at  the  feet ;  then  raising  it  quickly 
to  the  starting  point,  where  he  permitted  it  to 
rest  while  he  spoke,  said,  "Well,  I  guess  he'll  get 
along  all  right  if  he  knows  enough,  and  he  looks 
like  mebbe  he  does." 

The  shops  across  the  freight  yard  from  the 
depot,  with  the  black  smoke  pouring  from  the 
great  stack,  presented  a  formidable  appearance 
and  inclined  one  to  the  belief  that  Mr.  Wilson's 
thorough  inspection  was  not  unwarranted.  The 
main  buildings,  as  was  the  custom  in  earlier  rail- 
way operation,  enclosed  under  one  roof  the 
round-house,  machine  shop  and  forging  depart- 
ment. At  the  head  or  front  of  the  structure 
stood  the  round-house  for  the  storage  of  locomo- 
tives. "Not  the  modern  crescent  shaped  affair  of 
to-day,  with  turn-tables  outside  and  switches 
leading  to  each  stall,  but  a  round  house  in  the 
more  strict  sense  of  the  word,  or  rather  in  this 
case  a  house  in  which  the  ground  plan  was  that 
of  a  dodecagon,  two  of  the  faces  being  occupied 
by  the  track  which  passed  through  the  figure  and 
to  the  machine  shop  beyond,  while  each  of  those 


54  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

remaining  represented  a  stall  with  tracks  lead- 
ing at  regular  angles  from  a  central  turn-table. 
This  round-house  portion  was  covered  by  a  con- 
ical-shaped roof,  from  the  apex  of  which  rose  a 
short  tower  or  cupola.  Attached  to  this  and  ex- 
tending rearward  was  a  large  hip-roofed  annex, 
embracing  not  only  machine  shop  and  forging 
department  as  stated,  but  boiler  and  engine  room 
also,  from  which  source  power  was  generated  for 
the  entire  works.  Near  the  boiler  room  was  a 
small  building  called  the  rail  shop,  in  which  the 
battered  ends  of  rails  were  cut  off,  that  the  rail 
might  be  relaid  and  form  a  more  perfect  joint. 
About  one  hundred  feet  from  the  machine  shop 
was  the  car  department,  and  still  further  on,  the 
painting  department.  These,  together  with  the 
lumber  yard  and  a  large  building  for  the  storage 
of  seasoned  lumber,  embraced  practically  the 
whole  establishment,  but  were  enough,  together 
with  tracks,  switches,  cars,  engines,  etc.,  to  thor- 
oughly confuse  a  verdant  mind. 

When,  however,  one  entered  the  great  round- 
house, and  a  circle  of  locomotives  stood  frowning 
from  all  directions,  with  their  attendants  and 
wipers  scurrying  about ;  and  later  still  when  the 
machine  shop  was  reached,  with  its  mass  of  ma- 
chinery and  its  network  of  whirling  pulleys, 
shafts  and  belts,  and  their  din  of  movement 
added  to  by  the  hammering  and  filing,  together 
with  the  roar  of  the  forges  and  the  pounding  of 
the  great  trip-hammer  in  the  forge  department 
beyond,  it  seemed  that  without  going  farther, 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  55 

there  already  presented  itself  a  mass  of  detail 
that  forbade  all  hope  of  ever  mastering.  It  was 
an  appalling  demonstration  of  complex  and  un- 
familiar operations,  far  too  much  so  to  ever  hope 
mastering;  and  again  arose  the  vision  of  Dona- 
hue and  a  longing  to  surrender  all  this  for  a  life 
of  service  with  him  at  building  piers. 

The  village  hotel,  which  was  to  become  the 
writer's  home,  and  which  stood  facing  the  depot 
and  close  beside  the  railway  track,  differed  little 
in  architecture  from  that  employed  in  country 
towns  throughout  this  section  during  the  preced- 
ing century,  being  a  frame  structure  three  stories 
in  height,  with  the  first  and  second  floors  each 
opening  upon  a  piazza  which  extended  along  the 
entire  front  and  across  the  end  next  the  railway. 
Wooden  shutters  protected  the  windows  of  each 
floor,  and  when  not  thus  employed,  resolved 
themselves  into  stately  and  dignified  sentries 
pinned  against  the  wall  on  either  side  thereof, 
or  swung  to  and  fro  with  each  passing  breeze. 
The  whole  (sometime  since)  had  been  painted 
white,  with  the  exception  of  the  shutters,  which, 
of  course,  were  green. 

From  near  each  end  of  the  "hip"  roof  and 
from  its  very  apex  there  arose  a  low  chimney, 
while  several  large  elm  trees  along  the  front  pro- 
vided formidable  hitching  posts  for  the  teams  of 
country  patrons,  and  cast  their  sheltering  shade 
upon  the  whole.  The  place  bore  no  sign,  but 
was  known  far  and  near  as  "Howe's  Hotel." 


56 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 


Approaching  the  steps,  there  emerged  from  the 
main  hallway   (with   awkward    and    ungainly 

strides,  to  each 
otf  which  the 
head  bowed  as- 
sent) a  tall, 
lank  individual, 
in  age  past  three 
score  years.  His 
shoulders  were 
stooped,  his  legs 
bowed,  his  long 
arms  dangled  by 
his  sides  and 
his  thin  face 
was  smoothly 
shaven,  save  a 
carefully  pre- 
served fringe  of 
beard,  the  ends 
of  which  ap- 
peared like  a 
drought  -  suffer- 
ing hedge  above 
the  crest  of  the 
standing  collar 
with  which  his 
throat  and  neck 
were  fenced.  In 
his  hand  he  held  a  huge  dinner  bell,  which 
upon  reaching  the  porch  he  swirled  about 
his  head  with  a  certain  awkward  grace,  when 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  57 

with  sinuous  curves  it  fell  past  his  side, 
passing  partially  behind  him,  then  returning, 
described  a  double  loop  or  figure  eight  in 
front,  thence  back  to  the  point  of  commence- 
ment in  repetition  of  the  act,  the  tones  of 
the  bell  meanwhile  marking  accurate  time,  to 
which  his  lean,  lank  form  swayed  and  bent  in 
perfect  unison.  It  was  John  Howe,  the  propri- 
etor, born  and  reared  somewhere  over  in  the 
Green  Mountains  of  Vermont;  he  had  long  fol- 
lowed the  keeping  of  hotels  or  taverns,  and  for 
many  years  ere  the  writer  was  born,  had  each 
meal-time  wielded  the  dinner  bell  upon  this  same 
old  porch.  Finishing  his  unique  exhibition  of 
bell  ringing  he  started  to  re-enter  the  hall,  when, 
being  confronted  with  a  new  applicant  for  board 
and  lodging,  he  made  shift  of  the  bell  to  the  left 
hand,  and  extending  his  bony  right,  said :  "How 
de  do,  boy,  jest  go  right  in,  supper's  already 
waitin'  fer  ye." 

The  dining  room  bore  evidence  of  having  un- 
dergone some  change  from  the  original  design, 
through  the  removal  of  two  partitions,  and  a  con- 
sequent enlargement  in  somewhat  irregular 
form.  Here  from  the  center  of  each  of  the  three 
tables  arranged  about  the  room,  an  ornate  silver- 
plated  castor  towered  with  the  dignity  of  its 
period.  At  each  plate  and  employed  for  each 
of  the  three  meals  was  the  indispensable  little 
red  napkin.  Crowning  all  was  an  intricate  mass 
of  bright-colored  paper,  cut  in  fancy  designs  and 
suspended  from  the  ceiling  above  each  table, 


58  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

forming  a  cosy  retreat  for  the  myriad  of  flies 
that  also  boarded  here  during  the  summer 
months.  Seated  at  the  writer's  table  were  two 
lady  school  teachers,  a  livery  stable  keeper,  a 
jeweler,  a  druggist,  a  store  clerk  and  a  journey- 
man tailor,  representing  every  industry  of  the 
town  except  the  saw  mill  and  the  village  news- 
paper. 

The  sleeping  room  allotted  was  on  the  up- 
per floor  and  at  the  extreme  southeast  end  of 
the  building.  It  had  one  window  with  seven- 
inch  by  nine-inch  panes  of  glass,  and  opened  out 
upon  the  stable  yard  below.  An  old  green  shade 
hung  sullenly  from  a  roller  which  would  not 
roll ;  its  lower  half  had  been  whipped  about  by 
the  zephyrs  of  many  seasons,  until  its  entire  sur- 
face was  an  intricate  mass  of  cracks  and  fissures 
of  arborescent  form.  The  room  was  a  little 
more  than  eight  feet  square  and  the  ceiling  a 
little  less  than  eight  feet  high ;  the  furniture  con- 
sisted of  a  bed,  chair  and  washstand.  Upon  the 
stand  was  a  washbowl,  pitcher  and  tallow  candle, 
the  latter  supported  in  a  bronzed  tin  candlestick. 
All  were  of  the  same  renaissance  as  the  room, 
untraceable  in  origin  and  indescribable  in  de- 
sign, save  that  they  were  antique;  a  combina- 
tion, however,  then  much  employed,  and  evi- 
dently for  a  long  time  previous,  in  country  tav- 
erns throughout  this  section. 

There  was  no  closet  for  clothes,  but  numer- 
ous and  various  sized  nails  driven  in  the  walls 
furnished  ample  facilities  for  the  disposal  of 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  59 

garments,  which,  when  tastefully  arranged,  gave 
to  the  room  a  sort  of  unique  decorative  effect. 

Retiring  for  the  night  slumber  was  soon  en- 
grossed with  such  visions  and  fancies  as  would 
naturally  possess  a  verdant,  callow,  country 
youth  upon  his  first  night  in  the  hotel  of  a  great 
town  of  a  thousand  or  more  people. 

It  was  early  yet  when,  arising  and  descend- 
ing to  the  office,  the  only  sounds  which  broke  the 
silence  that  still  hung  about  the  establishment 
were  occasional  rattlings  of  stove  lids  and  cook- 
ing utensils  from  the  direction  of  the  kitchen, 
while  from  the  stable  beyond  came  exclama- 
tions of  command,  mingled  with  the  spiteful 
stamp  of  horses'  feet  in  protest  of  too  severe 
grooming.  Soon  afterward  there  was  detected 
the  sound  of  unlocking  and  opening  the  bar- 
room directly  beneath ;  while  from  the  window 
could  be  seen  three  old  residents  of  the  town, 
who  had  been  patiently  waiting,  file  silently 
down  the  steps.  These  were  followed  by  three 
others  coming  singly,  when  for  a  period  of  half 
an  hour  there  was  heard  a  desultory  conversa- 
tion, interspersed  with  two  or  three  brief  periods 
of  silence,  each  of  wrhich  were  quickly  followed 
by  a  chorus  of  slight  coughing  and  clearing  of 
the  throat,  when  the  line  of  discussion  would  be 
suddenly  resumed,  and  each  time  with  renewed 
interest  and  vigor.  Finally  there  was  a  general 
adjournment  and  the  six  old  residents  filed -up 
the  basement  stairs  and  homeward  to  their  break- 
fast, while  John  Howe,  the  proprietor,  who  had 


60  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

completed  the  task  of  catering  to  his  thirsty 
townsmen,  locked  the  sliding  door  of  the  side- 
board behind  the  bar  and  resumed  his  round  of 
early  morning  duties  yet  remaining. 

Salem  was,  upon  the  whole,  a  more  than  or- 
dinarily moral  village,  yet  withal  liberal.  Hence 
in  a  spirit  of  fairness  toward  all,  the  village  gov- 
ernment maintained  a  state  of  prohibition  each 
alternate  year.  This  was  not  a  prohibition  year, 
and  the  old  residents  who  so  regularly  filed  down 
the  basement  stairs  during  the  early  morning 
hours,  it  is  perhaps  needless  to  remark,  were 
not  prohibitionists,  neither  were  they  ever  dis- 
gracefully or  disorderly  intemperate.  True, 
they  were  men  of  limited  means,  especially  dur- 
ing these  alternate  years  of  greater  personal 
privilege ;  for  it  was  expensive  traveling  up  and 
down  those  basement  stairs,  particularly  to  those 
who  commenced  the  route  at  such  an  early  hour. 
But  they  were  liberty-loving  and  peaceful,  and 
formed  an  array  of  talent,  devoid  of  which  the 
village  would  have  largely  lost  its  charm. 

Deacon  Mathews,  the  weather  prophet,  and, 
incidentally,  village  blacksmith  for  many  years, 
performed  service  for  the  community  in  fore- 
casting climatic  changes  with  a  degree  of  accu- 
racy in  which  the  government  department  of 
meteorology  have  ever  since  failed. 

Steve  Green,  the  inventor,  was  the  pride  of 
the  village,  and  had  either  created  anew  or  im- 
proved a  device  for  every  possible  use;  beside 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  61 

working  occasionally  at  other  occupations,  until 
at  last  he  had  exhausted  the  field  and  was  now 
struggling  fiercely  with  the  time-honored  yet 
elusive  principle  of  perpetual  motion. 

None  of  Steve's  devices  had  ever  found 
their  way  into  general  use,  it  was  true,  but  Steve 
was  a  philosopher  and  thoroughly  understood  the 
difficulty  of  first  converting  the  public  mind  to 
the  acceptance  of  any  great  truth,  and  later  their 
insane  demands  for  the  same,  and  so  was  con- 
tent, and  grimly  awaited  the  coming  change  in 
sentiment  and  rush  of  orders. 

These  together  with  Brommie  Lansing,  Hen 
Clark,  Hugh  Smart  and  others,  were  old  and 
well-known  residents,  whose  loss  at  any  time 
would  have  largely  destroyed  the  village  charm 
and  worked  an  incalculable  loss  to  John  Howe. 


It  was  a  severe  undertaking  for  a  youth  of 
sixteen,  fresh  from  the  environment  of  the  po- 
tato patch  and  cornfield,  to  enter  a  great  machine 
shop,  individualized  not  only  in  occupation,  but 
somewhat  in  dress  and  manners,  and  run  the 
gauntlet  for  the  first  time  of  a  horde  of  facetious 
workmen  and  apprentices,  and  when  the  ordeal 
was  practically  ended  and  escape  had  been  made 
in  safety  to  a  point  half  way  up  the  stairs  lead- 
ing to  the  office,  only  a  few  faint  cries  of  "Low 
Bridge  !"  reached  the  ear ;  for  somehow  they  had 
already  discovered  the  writer's  identity  with  the 
Champlain  Canal. 


62  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

The  office  was  a  peculiar  affair,  situated  in 
the  machine  shop,  and  built  against  the  westerly 
Avail,  facing  the  car  shop.  Underneath,  and  ris- 
ing from  the  machine  shop  floor  were  first  built 
the  tool  room  and  pattern  shop,  while  above  and 
resting  upon  these  was  the  office,  the  high  ceil- 
ing of  the  machine  shop  providing  ample  eleva- 
tion, while  the  tall  windows  lighted  all.  It  was 
a  commodious  apartment,  severely  plain  in  its 
furnishings.  Against  one  wall  stood  a  high 
desk,  on  the  opposite  side  a  table,  near  the  en- 
trance a  washstand  with  bowl  and  pitcher,  and 
about  the  room  a  few  office  chairs  of  the  simplest 
pattern.  Upon  the  walls  were  a  few  photo- 
graphs of  locomotives  built  at  Taunton,  Massa- 
chusetts, also  a  few  others  of  lathes,  drill  presses, 
etc.,  manufactured  at  Fitchburg,  in  the  same 
state.  In  each  of  the  two  corners  of  the  room 
was  built  a  closet,  one  for  the  storage  of  books 
and  the  hanging  of  coats,  the  other  enclosed  the 
shop's  stock  of  files,  neatly  arranged  in  pigeon- 
holes and  stored  here  from  the  fact  that  being  an 
expensive  class  of  material  and  extensively  used, 
their  consumption  might  be  guarded  and  a  check 
kept  thereon.  The  control  of  this  was  still  an- 
other duty  of  the  clerk  and  time-keeper,  and  one 
which  proved  most  annoying  when  later  having 
lost  the  guardianship  of  his  predecessor  in  office, 
and  upon  the  request  of  some  serious-looking 
yet  facetious  workman,  found  himself  searching 
for  a  three-cornered  rat-tail  file. 


REMINISCENT   EAMBLINGS.  63 

Sometime  in  the  life  of  every  boy  comes  an 
ailment  as  certain  and  far  more  distressing  than 
croup,  whooping  cough  or  measles,  and  that  is 
the  agonizing  affliction — homesickness. 

And  now  as  the  day  neared  its  close  and  the 
sun  went  down  behind  the  western  hills,  over 
and  beyond  which  rested  the  home  and  dwelt 
the  friends  and  associates  of  childhood,  the  heart 
sank  with  it  in  grief  and  longing ;  till  at  last  dis- 
appearing below  the  artificial  horizon,  the  tears 
came  thick  and  fast,  while  the  mellow  light  of 
its  reflection  seemed  to  smile  at  my  despair. 

Mr.  Kegler,  the  master  mechanic,  came  up 
into  the  office  one  afternoon,  washed  and  wiped 
his  hands,  then  taking  a  cigar  from  his  vest 
pocket  and  seating  himself  in  an  arm  chair, 
lighted  it,  and,  as  was  his  daily  custom,  began  the 
dictation  of  some  letters.  Finishing,  he  tilted 
his  chair  back  against  the  wall,  elevated  his  feet, 
resting  them  upon  a  corner  of  the  table,  removed 
the  cigar  from  his  mouth  and  blew  a  dense  cloud 
of  smoke  toward  the  ceiling,  while  with  the 
other  hand  he  shielded  and  gently  caressed  a  de- 
cidedly bald  spot  upon  the  top  of  his  head.  Gaz- 
ing intently  for  a  few  seconds  he  at  last  said: 
"Well,  boy,  how  ye  makin'  it?"  Then  without 
awaiting  a  reply,  continued,  "Now,  don't  ye 
think  it's  about  time  you  was  goin'  over  home 
and  seein'  the  folks?  If  you  don't,  ye  know, 
they'll  begin  to  think  mebbe  yer  gittin'  wild. 
Then,  agin,  ye  must  be  gettin'  a  little  homesick 
by  this  time ;  if  ye  ain't  yer  a  mighty  sight  dif- 


64  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

f  erent  boy  than  I  was  the  first  time  I  went  away 
from  home  to  stay." 

A  thousand  thoughts  now  crowded  in  upon 
the  mind,  all  imaginative,  but  joyous.  The  cor- 
respondence was  dashed  off  with  reckless  haste, 
copied  up-side  down  and  in  all  sorts  of  ways, 
then  in  absent-mindedness  at  first  addressed  it 
nearly  all  to  Comstock's  Landing  over  on  the 
Champlain  Canal.  Amongst  the  business  let- 
ters, however,  was  an  order  to  Henry  Ruggles,  a 
foundryman  of  Poultney,  Vermont,  for  a  mis- 
cellaneous lot  of  iron  castings.  I  had  taken  oc- 
casion to  write  still  another  letter  to  an  old  aunt 
up  near  Slyborough  Corners,  telling  her  what  a 
great  man  I  had  already  become,  and  filling  the 
balance  of  the  letter  with  prophecies  of  my 
future.  This  I  enclosed  in  an  envelope  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Buggies,  while  the  order  for  cast- 
ings was  promptly  forwarded  by  same  mail  to 
the  aforementioned  aunt. 

In  due  time  a  reply  came  from  the  appreci- 
ative old  lady  thanking  me  for  my  desire  to 
patronize  her,  but  wondering  how  on  earth  I  got 
it  into  my  head  that  she  was  running  a  foundry ; 
that  she  didn't  have  a  thing  in  the  world  to  sell 
the  railroad  company  unless  they  could  make 
use  of  some  vegetables. 

Mr.  Ruggles  simply  returned  the  letter  to 
her,  charitably  refraining  from  any  remark 
whatsoever.  _i_ 

Railway  occupation  seemed  the  most  allur- 
ing and  of  the  greatest  magnitude  and  import- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  65 

ance  of  all  that  occupied  the  field.  There  stood 
before  the  world  that  dazzling  exhibition  of 
princely  attainment,  Jay  Gould.  For  it  was 
upon  this  very  Rutland  and  Washington  Divi- 
sion, then  an  independent  line,  that  he,  a  some- 
what unsophisticated  country  youth  made  his 
debut  before  the  great  and  growing  world  of 
greed  and  gain.  From  his  first  appearance  along 
the  line  in  the  guise  of  a  wool  and  potato  buyer, 
he  suddenly  developed  into  a  full  usurpation  and 
control,  while  his  younger  brother,  Abram 
Gould,  occupied  the  position  of  clerk  and  time- 
keeper of  these  same  shops.  From  the  old  files 
of  the  office  the  writer  had  unearthed  many  auto- 
graph letters  of  this  now  famed  man,  then  reign- 
ing over  the  Erie  Railway,  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company,  and  in  fact  the  laws  of  his 
land.  These  letters  were  studied  carefully, 
their  style  adopted  in  correspondence,  and 
through  some  evidence  and  much  imagination, 
that  of  their  author  in  other  things,  having 
fully  determined  upon  entering  the  great  field 
of  transportation,  the  result  of  which  at  a  period 
not  long  to  be  deferred  would  (it  seemed  un- 
questionable) terminate  in  the  acquirement  of  a 
large  interest,  and  elevation  to  the  presidency  of 
one  or  more  great  trans-continental  lines. 

And  now  these  limitless,  boyish  and  already 
wild  ambitions  were  to  be  heightened  through 
sudden  and  incomprehensible  distinction. 

A  disastrous  fire  demonstrated  fully  the 
weakness  of  the  village  fire  department,  and 


66  EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

steps  were  taken  to  reinforce  it.  Amongst  other 
appliances  which  were  added  was  the  old  Trojan 
hook  and  ladder  truck  of  Troy,  ST.  Y.,  that  city 
inaugurating  a  paid  department.  The  railway 
company  being  a  heavy  taxpayer,  and  deeply 
interested  in  the  strengthening  of  the  depart- 
ment, it  was  decided  to  name  the  machine  for 
the  writer. 

The  town  constructed  a  building  especially 
for  its  use  with  truck  room  on  the  first,  or 
ground  floor,  and  hall  above. 

Deacon  Mathews,  Brommie  Lansing  and 
Steve  Green  each  became  honorary  members. 
The  deacon  selected  dates  for  parades  and  other 
out-door  demonstrations,  besides  securing  repre- 
sentation at  all  the  church  picnics. 

Brommie  took  charge  of  all  parliamentary 
proceedings,  while  Steve  Green  acted  as  consult- 
ing engineer  and  general  mechanical  adviser, 
and  in  a  remarkably  short  time  introduced  so 
many  new  improvements  and  attachments  to  the 
machine  that  the  membership  had  to  be  enlarged 
in  order  to  haul  it  about. 

None  of  the  three  in  view  of  their  years 
ranked  particularly  high  in  actual  service,  es- 
pecially on  high  buildings,  though  in  basement 
work  they  still  showed  excellent  form. 

When  this  establishment  was  completed  and 
occupied,  so  dizzy  a  height  of  fame  and  honor 
had  been  reached  it  seemed  that  to  climb  higher 
would  simply  separate  one  from  any  existing 
realm  of  equality  to  be  found  in  earthly  associa- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  67 

tion.  There  were,  however,  it  was  determined, 
an  extremely  limited  number  of  human  beings 
in  the  world  who  enjoyed  a  like  distinction ;  but 
for  this  I  should  have  dwelt  alone,  shrouded  in 
the  dense  and  dignified  solitude  of  unequaled 
greatness. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

When  one  considers  the  wild,  ungovernable 
desire  and  the  reckless  attempts  on  the  part  of 
the  vast  multitudes  of  beings,  of  mature  years 
and  occupying  all  stations  in  life,  to  reach  Cali- 
fornia and  its  so-called  golden  shores  during  the 
earlier  days  thereof,  a  limited  degree  of  like  fas- 
cination becomes  pardonable  in  a  youth  scarce 
out  of  his  teens,  though  twenty-five  years  have 
elapsed  since  those  more  irresistible  influences 
which  the  early  excitement  exerted;  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  few  of  the  youths  of  to-day, 
who  have  listened  to  and  read  the  graphic  recitals 
of  those  gold-plated  episodes  and  experiences  of 
'49  and  '50,  but  that  has  a  soul  so  live  as  to  per- 
mit the  fires  being  rekindled  from  the  smoulder- 
ing embers  of  a  past  generation's  fancy.  And 
now  when  it  was  arranged  that  the  writer  should 
go  to  that  far-away  alluring  center — San  Fran- 
cisco— and  succeed  the  brother  of  that  great  man, 
Jay  Gould,  as  purveyor  of  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company,  all  heretofore  seeming 
greatness  in  the  little  village  of  Salem  sank  into 
insignificance,  and  a  locomotive  on  the  Rutland 
and  Washington  Division,  or  even  the  fire-red 
hook  and  ladder  truck  in  its  palatial  quarters 
over  on  a  side  street  in  the  rear  of  the  railway 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  69 

freight  house,  seemed  insignificant  apparatus 
compared  to  a  steamship. 

An  ocean  steamship,  as  near  as  could  be  de- 
termined, differed  widely  from  a  canal  boat, 
most  especially  in  its  motive  power;  and  as  a 
canal  boat  was  the  limit  of  the  writer's  experi- 
ence with  large  vessels,  the  water  route  to  Cali- 
fornia was  chosen,  that  the  corporation  war  then 
raging  between  the  Pacific  Mail  and  the  Pan- 
ama Transit  Company  might  meanwhile  find  an 
end,  and  incidentally  to  gain  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  steamships  generally. 

The  morning  of  May  2d,  1876,  dawned 
bright  and  balmy.  The  steamship  "Colon,"  of 
the  Pacific  Mail  line,  crowding  its  massive,  tow- 
ering form  close  beside  the  wharf,  seemed  some 
silent,  monstrous  beast  of  burden,  patiently 
waiting  at  the  door  of  its  master. 

Finally  the  signal  was  sounded,  calling  pas- 
sengers aboard  and  warning  visitors  to  disem- 
bark. The  gang  plank  was  removed,  the  great 
hawsers  were  cast  loose,  while  a  blustering, 
wheezing,  snorting  little  tug,  away  down  below, 
skurried  about  the  ship's  sides,  pushing  here  and 
pulling  there,  much  with  the  same  result  it 
seemed  that  a  minnow  might  attempt  to  crowd 
and  shove  a  whale.  Soon,  however,  the  great 
mass  moved,  and,  clearing  the  dock  and  having 
her  nose  pushed  out  into  the  stream,  the  officious 
little  tug  cast  loose  and  turned  homeward  with 
an  air  of  extreme  and  undisguised  importance. 


70  BEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

At  once  the  Colon  was  under  her  own  steam  and 
moving  gently  but  swiftly  down  the  bay. 

From  a  quiet  nook  aft  upon  the  upper  deck, 
there  was  little  to  disturb  the  reverie  of  a  ver- 
dant youthful  traveler,  who,  watching  the  great 
city  fast  becoming  lost  in  the  haze  and  distance, 
felt  the  dread  sensation  of  a  great  gulf  widening 
between  himself  and  the  only  land  of  which  he 
possessed  any  absolute  knowledge ;  while  a  sud- 
den, serious  fancy  filled  the  mind  and  rapidly 
entrenched  itself,  that  possibly  all  this  was  a 
far  more  reckless  undertaking  than  it  appeared ; 
when  the  engines  gradually  ceased  their  move- 
ment, and  sudden,  though  temporary,  relief 
came  from  the  hope  that  possibly  they  had  for- 
gotten something  and  would  have  to  return  to 
shore,  when,  escaping,  a  safer  route  might  be 
adopted. 

It  was,  however,  but  the  disembarkment  of 
the  pilot.  And  while  the  little  boat  which  con- 
veyed him  tossed  merrily  away  en  route  thereto, 
a  sleepy,  listless  pilot  boat  nearby  slowly  and 
gently  rose  and  fell  and  bowed  its  graceful  form 
in  dignified  adieu. 

Again  the  engines  were  in  motion  and  the 
Colon  plunged  sternly  forward  and  out  upon  the 
broad  Atlantic. 

Rapidly  the  coast  line  grew  more  and  more 
dim,  till  finally  the  sky  closed  down  upon  the 
surface  of  the  sea.  The  Colon  was  now  indulg- 
ing in  certain  and  decided  movements  that  dif- 
fered widely  from  those  of  boats  on  the  Cham- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  71 

plain  canal,  even  in  the  worst  storms.  The  up- 
per extremities  of  her  masts  like  the  points  of 
great  dividers,  marked  ever  increasing  segments 
of  circles  upon  the  sky,  as,  rolling  from  side  to 
side,  she  rose  majestically  to  the  summit  of  a 
great  swell,  seemed  to  pause  for  an  instant,  then, 
slightly  shuddering,  sank  away  into  its  accom- 
panying trough. 

Occupying  the  same  state  room  with  the 
writer  was  one  Tom  Forrest,  a  miner  and  pros- 
pector, engaged  in  the  search  for  gold  somewhere 
up  about  "Dutch  Flats/'  in  Placer  County,  Cal- 
ifornia. Forrest  was  a  big  fellow  with  a  heavy, 
drooping  moustache,  a  very  loud  shirt,  and  a 
fancy  vest,  across  the  front  of  which  was  sus- 
pended a  massive  watch  chain  formed  of  gold 
nuggets  taken  from  the  auriferous  sands  at 
Dutch  Flats. 

Alluring  tales  of  gold  washing  in  California 
had  long  been  read  with  feverish  interest,  and, 
later,  the  fabulous  doings  of  the  great  "Corn- 
stock"  in  Nevada ;  until  mining  for  the  precious 
metals  had  long  filled  the  mind  with  what  has 
since  been  proven  the  most  romantic  and  falla- 
cious of  ideas.  Forrest  was  not  long  in  detect- 
ing this,  and  not  having  the  heart  to  blot  and 
blur  this  mind  picture  through  an  application  of 
truth,  charitably  intensified  these  visionary  im- 
pressions, creating  a  joyous  confirmation  of  pre- 
vious views,  together  with  a  stock  of  amusement 
for  himself. 


72  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Upon  a  bench  by  the  side  of  the  rail,  far  aft 
on  the  upper  deck  and  well  removed  from  the 
ship's  passengers,  sat  a  lad  of  twenty  years  or 
less,  poring  intently  over  a  volume  which  rested 
upon  his  knee,  while  wreaths  of  tobacco  smoke 
from  a  huge  Meerschaum  pipe  curled  for  a  time 
lovingly  about  his  head,  then,  caught  by  the  light 
breeze,  floated  quickly  away  over  the  ship's 
stem.  He  was  short  in  stature,  of  dark  com- 
plexion, neat  in  appearance,  and,  as  could  be 
seen,  rigidly  methodical  in  manner;  upon  the 
whole  a  queer,  old-fashioned-appearing  lad, 
and  apparently  at  home  upon  the  sea.  By  his 
side  upon  the  seat  rested  a  large,  home-made  to- 
bacco pouch,  from  which  at  intervals  (after 
knocking  the  ashes  from  the  huge  and  elaborate 
Meerschaum,  then  fondling  it  lovingly,  and 
viewing  it  in  different  lights  admiringly,  as  he 
noted  its  progress  in  colorings)  he  would  re- 
charge the  same. 

In  proportions  and  pretensions  the  pipe  dif- 
fered so  widely  from  the  boy  as  to  strikingly  in- 
dividualize him;  and  in  the  gentle  and  loving 
guardianship  he  exercised  over  it  his  ruling 
weakness,  if  such  existed,  was  apparent. 

It  was  a  day  in  which  the  possession  of  a 
Meerschaum  pipe  was  the  rage ;  and  long  before, 
up  in  Salem,  entrancing  tales  were  told  of  an 
"old  countryman"  who  resided  several  miles 
away,  just  over  the  line  in  Vermont  and  well 
up  in  the  Green  Mountain  range,  and  who  was 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  73 

reputed  to  be  the  possessor  of  a  most  wonder- 
fully colored  Meerschaum. 

In  time  the  writer  became  its  owner,  at  no 
doubt  many  times  its  actual  value.  Its  color- 
ing, however,  had  in  no  sense  been  overrated, 
though  the,  older  and  more  knowing  ones  shook 
their  heads,  and  inclined  to  the  belief  of  its  hav- 
ing been  produced  artificially;  which,  if  true, 
of  course,  condemned  it,  as  amongst  the  Meer- 
schaum-smoking tribe,  the  great  value  lay  in  the 
coloring  having  been  produced  through  absolute 
use,  and,  better  still,  through  the  individual  ef- 
fort of  the  owner. 

Armed  with  the  alluring  pipe,  and  design- 
edly sauntering  along  the  upper  deck  and  toward 
the  point  where  the  lad  was  sitting,  sidewise 
with  one  elbow  resting  on  the  rail  while  he 
smoked  and  read,  a  match  was  requested  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  attracting  his  attention.  Turn- 
ing quickly  and  reaching  in  his  pocket,  he  pro- 
duced instead  a  percussion  pipe-lighting  affair, 
which  in  itself  was  an  evidence  of  the  boy's  in- 
dividuality. Everyone  used  matches  —  they 
were  quite  too  conventional  for  him.  Present- 
ing it  he  raised  his  eyes  for  the  first  time,  his 
attitude  pleasant  though  quite  unconcerned  for 
the  instant,  until  catching  sight  of  the  pipe,  his 
face  beamed  beneath  a  veil  of  sudden  surprise, 
while  involuntarily  he  half  rose  from  his  seat  in 
his  eagerness  to  more  closely  view  the  object  of 
his  interest,  which  he  examined  long  and  crit- 
ically, occasionally  casting  glances  of  compari- 


74  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

son  at  his  own  which  lay  upon  the  seat.  With 
a  lingering  gaze  he  returned  the  pipe,  and  pick- 
ing up  his  own  polished  it  gently  and  affection- 
ately with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  while  he  cast 
upon  it  a  long,  admiring  look,  as  if  in  assurance 
that  his  admiration  had  not  entirely  gone  forth 
to  another.  His  name  was  Edward  Coleman; 
he  was  the  son  of  a  manufacturer  of  ship  chan- 
dlers' goods  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  They 
dealt  largely  with  San  Francisco  dealers,  and 
Edward  was  journeying  thence  to  visit  their 
clients,  most  of  whom  they  had  never  met,  and, 
incidentally,  undertake  the  collection  of  a  few 
accounts,  the  payment  of  which  had  been  too 
long  deferred. 


Talking  and  smoking  on  the  upper  deck  until 
late  the  second  night  out,  the  wind  suddenly 
rose,  the  sea  increased  in  roughness,  and  the 
ship  rolling  and  pitching  significantly,  we 
knocked  the  ashes  from  the  rival  pipes  and 
sought  the  seclusion  of  the  staterooms  below. 

Forrest  had  already  retired  and  was  sleep- 
ing soundly;  when  by  the  dim  light  from  the 
passage  a  maiden  attempt  was  engaged  in  of  the 
difficult  and  undignified  task  of  disrobing  and 
retiring  in  the  stateroom  of  a  heavily  rolling  and 
plunging  ship.  Finally  the  feat  was  accom- 
plished, and  a  fairly  good  record  as  a  beginner 
made;  Forrest  remained  undisturbed,  and  no 
damage  seemed  to  have  been  sustained  save  a 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  75 

few  bumps  and  bruises  upon  the  person  of  the 
writer,  which  were  wholly  affairs  of  his  own. 

Clinging  tenaciously  for  a  time  to  the  berth 
as  the  ship  rolled  in  the  direction  that  tended  to 
deposit  one  upon  the  floor,  sleep  finally  pre- 
vailed. 

The  first  gray  dawn  of  approaching  day  had 
spread  itself  over  the  turbulent  and  boundless 
waters,  when  awakening,  there  could  be  seen 
(each  time  the  ship  careened  to  the  side  from 
which  the  port  gave  a  view)  the  great  expanse 
of  sea,  as  it  heaved  and  tossed  in  endless  and  in- 
describable convulsion,  while  the  hurried  foot- 
steps of  the  seamen  on  the  deck  above,  the  howl- 
ing of  the  wind,  and  the  spiteful  fusilade  of 
raindrops  upon  the  glass,  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  soft,  gentle  atmosphere  of  the  evening 
preceding.  It  was  a  storm  off  Cape  Hatteras. 
At  regular  intervals  a  terrible  rumbling,  accom- 
panied by  a  shudder  of  the  ship  ensued,  as 
plunging  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  her  propeller 
was  raised  from  the  water,  and  in  its  released 
condition,  tore  wildly  about  until  meeting  with 
resistance  through  immersion,  it  wrenched  the 
old  ship's  vertebrae  much  like  that  of  a  scared 
mule  when  he  suddenly  reaches  the  length  of  his 
picket  rope. 

Forrest  now  turned  over  upon  his  back,  and 
yawning,  stretched  both  arms  above  his  head, 
then  muttering  a  disapproval  of  the  weather, 
settled  himself  for  a  morning  nap.  Then  con- 
fiding to  him  the  knowledge  of  a  certain  dis- 


76  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

tressed  feeling,  lie  opened  his  eyes  for  an  in- 
stant, then  closing  them  again,  shrugged  his 
shoulder,  whereby  to  draw  the  covering  more 
closely  about  his  neck,  and  remarked  disinter- 
estedly, "Oh,  you're  seasick,  that's  all  the  matter 
with  you."  This  was  sufficient,  so  far  the 
thought  had  not  occurred.  The  suggestion  was 
simply  awaited  to  fully  develop  the  complaint. 
There  wTas  now  no  time  to  be  spent  in  further 
consideration  of  the  matter;  arising  and  hur- 
riedly dressing  preparatory  to  reaching  the  deck, 
the  operation  was  scarce  commenced,  when  the 
conclusion  was  reached  to  remain  below.  "No 
reference  need  be  made  to  the  scenes  which  fol- 
lowed during  the  succeeding  two  hours,  other 
than  that  they  were  the  busiest  in  the  experience 
of  any  ocean  traveler.  Later  the  cabin  boy  en- 
tered, hurriedly  diagnosed  the  case,  and  quickly 
returned  with  the  invariable  and  stock  article  of 
diet,  toast  and  tea.  A  teaspoonful  of  the  tea  was 
sipped  gingerly,  the  toast  sniffed  daintily  and 
the  feast  ended.  Then  lying  back  in  the  berth, 
with  closed  eyes,  a  rigid  course  of  treatment  was 
commenced  in  suggestive  therapeutics ;  repeated 
matches  made  of  mind  defense  against  physical 
attack,  and  every  match  lost,  including  all  re- 
maining nourishment.  Then  arose  and  dressed 
with  a  view  to  reaching  the  upper  deck,  half  hop- 
ing that  some  great,  merciful,  motherly  old  wave 
would  lap  me  up  and  bear  me  away  to  final  rest, 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  77 

The  storm  raged  fiercely  until  long  past  mid- 
day, when  it  slackened  its  fury,  and  as  the 
shades  of  night  fell,  had  fully  ceased.  Then 
the  moon  rose  and  peered  out  over  the  vast 
bosom  of  the  Atlantic,  which  as  though  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  exhaustion  of  the  struggle, 
rose  and  fell,  heaving  its  mighty  chest  in  linger- 
ing distress.  Steadily  the  old  ship  bore  on 
toward  the  glowing  tropics  and  less  troubled  wa- 
ters, until  at  last,  passing  the  "Antilles,"  en- 
tered the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  weather  was  now 
exceedingly  warm.  The  sun,  near  the  zenith, 
shed  its  fierce  rays  upon  the  mirrored  surface  of 
a  listless  lazy  sea,  whose  only  movement  was 
the  never-ending  swell,  which  now  rose  so  lan- 
guidly and  sank  away  with  such  abandon  as  to 
each  time  seem  incapable  of  again  repeating  the 
operation. 

Awnings  were  stretched  above  the  upper 
deck  by  day,  beneath  whose  friendly  shelter 
from  the  sun's  rays,  lounged  a  seeming  and  sud- 
denly reconstructed  race.  The  ambition,  vivac- 
ity and  chatter  of  these  people  of  the  North  was 
gone,  and  in  most  negligee  attire  they  sat  about 
in  quiet,  surrendering  themselves  at  frequent  in- 
tervals, to  the  seductive  influence  of  the  "siesta" 
of  a  southern  clime.  It  was  only  when  the  sun 
had  sunk  beneath  the  horizon,  and  darkness 
(which  is  here  preceded  by  little  twilight)  had 
fallen  over  all,  that  any  pretense  of  interest  in 
anything  save  sleep  and  silence,  was  manifest 
amongst  any,  except  the  crew.  Then  a  cooler 


78  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

breeze  seemed  to  fan  them  into  consciousness, 
while  a  beautifully  phosphorescent  sea  caught 
the  eye  and  lured  them  into  animated  expres- 
sion. Such  nights  as  these  were  enjoyed  late 
upon  the  decks,  smoking,  talking  and  trapping 
the  flying  fish,  with  which  the  Caribbean 
swarms,  which  latter  was  accomplished  by  sus- 
pending an  empty  flour  barrel  with  a  cord  at- 
tached to  either  end,  at  a  point  near  as  possible 
to  the  surface  of  the  sea.  Then  the  open  end, 
which  projected  outward  from  the  ship's  side, 
was  raised  until  the  barrel  formed  a  slight  angle 
with  the  surface  of  the  water.  A  light  having 
first  been  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  barrel,  the 
curious  little  creatures  are  attracted  by  its  bright 
rays  so  near  them,  and  raising  from  the  water, 
fly  toward  it,  plunging  headlong  into  the  recep- 
tacle. 

Sailing  on  equatorward  there  at  last  ap- 
peared above  the  southern  horizon,  and  now  be- 
held for  the  first  time  by  most  on  board,  that 
bright  constellation,  the  Southern  Cross. 

For  a  moment  possessed  of  the  joy  and  in- 
terest born  only  of  the  discovery  of  some  unfa- 
miliar work  of  God,  there  at  last  came  the  real- 
ization of  being  far  from  home.  In  fact,  of 
having  actually  sailed  out,  and  away  from  be- 
neath the  celestial  ceiling  decorations  of  our 
own  land,  and  under  those  of  another. 

Each  day  dawned,  and  developed  its  usual 
heat,  with  possibly  a  few  degrees  added,  until 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  79 

far  away  the  haze  (or  aqueous  vapor  generated 
through  the  intensity  of  the  sun's  rays  upon  the 
surface  of  these  equatorial  waters)  obliterated 
the  line  of  demarkation  between  sea  and  sky.  It 
was  near  the  noon  hour  of  an  especially  heated 
day  when  the  "lookout"  in  the  "crow's  nest" 
cried  "Ship  ahoy !"  and  ere  long  there  was  seen 
from  the  upper  deck  the  dim  outlines  of  a  sail 
far  away  to  "larboard."  The  steamer's  course, 
though  bearing  in  toward  her  slightly,  would 
pass  her  at  least  three  miles  to  "starboard."  The 
sullen,  oppressive  stillness  of  a  dead  calm,  made 
more  oppressive  by  the  intense  heat,  hung  over 
all.  She  was  a  schooner-rigged  craft  of  rather 
large  proportions.  Every  stitch  of  sail  was  set, 
while  the  whole  hung  listless  and  drooping. 
And  though  she  bore  a  signal  of  distress,  a  care- 
ful inspection  with  glasses  determined  nothing 
further  than  that  she  was  helpless  in  a  "dead 
calm,"  and  that  her  crew,  so  far  as  detected, 
were  tropical  natives  of  the  blackest  type. 

The  Colon  changed  her  course,  slackened 
speed,  and  bearing  down  upon  her,  came  to  a 
full  stop  something  over  half  a  mile  distant. 
Meanwhile  a  boat  put  off  from  the  sailer,  which 
by  the  time  the  Colon  had  fully  halted,  came 
alongside.  It  contained  six  men  and  eight  wa- 
ter barrels.  As  the  boat's  crew  climbed  up  the 
ship's  side,  and  one  after  another  stepped  on 
deck,  the  passengers  now  aroused  from  their  in- 
ertness, crowded  curiously  about  them. 

Aside  from  the  morbid  curiosity  of  a  lay- 


80  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

man,  they  were  indeed  subjects  of  deep  interest 
to  the  naturalist  and  physiologist.  Each  of 
these  beings  were  nude,  save  a  piece  of  light  cot- 
ton fabric  wrapped  about  the  loins.  Their 
bodies  and  arms  were  long,  their  legs  short, 
while  the  cranial  and  facial  development  was 
far  more  distorted  than  that  of  the  purest  type 
of  African  negro. 

The  nasal  organ  scarce  manifested  itself, 
save  in  the  nostrils,  which  when  standing  erect, 
presented  the  fullest  view  of  the  openings. 
The  ship's  surgeon  standing  near,  and  though 
less  expressive  of  his  interest  and  observations 
than  others,  was  to  the  extent  of  his  greater 
knowledge  in  such  matters,  far  more  observing ; 
amongst  other  things,  calling  attention  to  one  of 
these  creatures  who  stood  nearest,  presenting  a 
side  view.  Through  the  limited  folds  of  the 
light  fabric  drawn  tightly  about  his  loins,  there 
was  plainly  visible  a  slight  protuberance,  located 
at  the  lowest  extremity  of  the  vertebrae,  then 
more  closely  observing  the  balance,  there  was 
found  in  each  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the 
same  physiological  phenomena. 

Through  later  and  more  convincing  observa- 
tion the  fact  was  determined  that  the  vertebrse 
of  these  beings  extended  downward  and  slightly 
away  from  the  body,  so  far  past  the  point  of  ter- 
mination in  examples  of  physical  perfection  as 
to  render  the  occurrence  plainly  visible  through 
the  folds  of  their  attire. 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  81 

In  the  heretofore  orthodox  environment  of 
the  writer,  the  observations  and  theory  of 
Charles  Darwin  regarding  the  evolution  of  spe- 
cies had  for  some  time  produced  a  sensation. 
He  had  cautiously  read  much  of  it.  Cautiously 
it  may  be  stated,  as  the  exhibition  of  such  taste 
tended  rather  to  handicap  one  in  the  region 
roundabout.  Extended  discussions  were  fre- 
quent on  the  part  of  a  misguided  mass  of 
"special  creation"  supporters,  and  always  in  rid- 
icule and  condemnation  of  the  preposterous, 
irrational  teachings  of  this  crazy  blasphemous 
individual. 

Evolution  having  so  far  proceeded  that  the 
principle  of  bodily  torture  was  no  longer  prac- 
ticed upon  such  as  dared  to  manifest  the  slight- 
est degree  of  rational  thought  upon  any  subject 
adverse  to  Scripture  (which  properly  inter- 
preted, seemed  to  pretty  thoroughly  cover  the 
entire  field  of  inquiry),  Mr.  Darwin  lived,  la- 
bored, observed  and  uttered  his  evidence  at  a 
period  in  which,  fortunately,  he  escaped  the 
stake,  and  through  charity,  became  the  recipi- 
ent of  all  manner  of  ridicule  instead.  His  an- 
cestral anthropoid  ape,  and  especially  its  tail, 
grew  into  a  huge  joke,  though  to  the  more  de- 
vout, a  somewhat  ghastly  one. 

Meeting  in  the  Caribbean  Sea  these  types  of 
so  peculiar  a  species,  yet  human,  the  mind 
thenceforth  dwelt  yet  more  seriously  upon  the 
teachings  of  Darwin;  to  the  end,  as  the  reader 
may  have  already  deduced  from  the  tenor  of 


82  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

foregoing  speech,  that  the  early  impressions 
gained  have  not  wholly  failed  in  augmenting 
their  fortification  through  unprejudiced  in- 
quiry since  indulged  in. 

As  they  spoke  no  language  understood  by 
any  on  board,  with  the  exception  of  a  lim- 
ited amount  of  very  imperfect  Spanish,  little 
information  was  obtained  from  the  becalmed 
mariners  save  that  they  had  for  a  long  time  been 
unable  to  make  any  headway  on  account  of  lack 
of  wind,  and  that  they  were  destitute  of  water. 
The  Captain  ordered  their  casks  filled,  which 
done,  they  pushed  off  from  the  ship's  side,  and 
the  Colon  was  again  under  way,  headed  for  As- 
pinwall.  _._ 

bearing  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  (and  ere  the  coast  line  was  sighted), 
there  came  wafted  upon  a  gentle  breeze  now 
blowing  off  shore,  the  faint,  delightful  odor  of 
the  tropical  jungle  of  the  Isthmus  and  its  fruits. 
Later,  the  dim  coast  line  became  discernible, 
and  shortly  thereafter  anchor  was  cast  for  the 
time  being,  a  short  way  off  the  dock.  Aspin- 
wall  has  little  that  may  be  called  harbor,  it  be- 
ing practically  open  sea. 

Landing,  and  a  couple  of  days  being  re- 
quired for  transfer  of  cargo  across  the  isthmus 
by  that  forty-seven  miles  of  standard  gauge  rail- 
way of  the  Panama  Transit  Company  (the  earn- 
ings of  which  per  mile,  next  to  the  Virginia  and 
Truckee  Railway  of  Nevada,  were  the  greatest 


EEMINISCENT    KAMBLUSTGS.  83 

of  any  railway  on  earth),  one  was  enabled  to 
devote  some  considerable  time  to  exploration. 
The  slovenly,  though  somewhat  interesting  town, 
its  streets  filled  with  a  semi-nude  horde,  com- 
prising both  sexes,  who  lounged  and  strolled  in 
all  places,  uninvited  and  uninterfered  with,  im- 
pressed one  as  a  representation  of  democracy  in 
its  fullest  form;  or  rather,  the  idleness  and  in- 
ertness that  marks  dethronement,  and  the  await- 
ing of  the  end.  Upon  the  principal  street  stood 
a  well-modeled  statue  of  Columbus,  beneath 
whose  extended  and  protecting  arm  crouched  the 
representation  of  a  pure  type  of  the  Isthmus 
native. 

For  the  moment  one  gazed  upon  the  allegor- 
ical structure,  and  with  poetic  mind,  embraced 
the  sentiment  it  bore.  Then  looking  away  upon 
the  great  steamship  crowding  the  pier,  the  rail- 
way with  its  locomotives  snorting  their  assertion 
of  privilege  and  the  little  land  itself  about  to 
be  rent  in  twain  by  the  cutting  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  the  veil  lifted,  the  comedy  appeared,  and 
smiling  thoughtfully  at  the  monumental  joke, 
passed  to  a  side  view  of  the  figure,  and  raising 
the  eyes  to  the  summit  of  Christopher's  towering 
form,  smiled  again,  for  there,  plastered  over  the 
great  area  of  his  expansive  cheek  clung  a  huge 
quid  of  tobacco,  hurled  at  him,  no  doubt,  by 
another  irreverent  detector  of  the  farce. 

Journeying  inland  from  the  town  into  the 
dense  jungle  of  tropical  vegetation,  filled  with 
the  noisy  life  of  bird  and  beast,  was  an  experi- 


84  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

ence  never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  visitor  from  a 
colder  clime.  Probably  in  no  section  of  the 
earth  does  vegetation  nourish  more  luxuriantly 
or  grow  more  rapidly  than  here.  It  is  said  that 
in  making  preparations  for  the  survey  and  cross- 
sectioning  of  the  canal,  that  a  swath  over  one 
half  mile  in  width  was  cut  along  the  line  and 
the  ground  laid  bare.  Much  of  the  way  the 
tangle  of  grass  and  vines  were  so  dense  that  one 
was  supported  five  feet  from  the  ground  in  pass- 
ing over  it,  and  that  in  less  than  two  years  fol- 
lowing the  removal  of  this  growth,  the  track  was 
invisible,  save  from  the  cutting  of  the  larger 
and  slower  growth  of  trees. 

The  railway  connecting  Aspinwall  and  Pan- 
ama, though  penetrating  a  wild  land,  was  of  the 
earliest  construction,  having  been  commenced  in 
1849  (Totten  and  Trautwine,  engineers),  and 
completed  several  years  later,  after  the  greatest 
difficulties  and  loss  of  life  which  ever  attended 
the  building  of  an  equal  length  of  line.  Nu- 
merous nationalities  were  employed  as  work- 
men, and  the  mortality  was  so  great  that  at  its 
completion  it  was  a  saying,  that  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  were  sufficient  to  "tie"  the  road  over  its 
entire  length.  The  undertaking  was  prompted 
by  the  great  gold  discoveries  in  California,  and 
the  indescribable  stampede  to  the  golden  shores 
of  the  Pacific. 

During  the  year  1ST  6  a  French  commission, 
consisting  of  Lieut.  Wyse  and  others,  was  sent 
out  to  investigate  the  feasibility  of  constructing 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  85 

a  ship  canal  across  the  Isthmus,  connecting  the 
two  oceans.  Two  years  later  the  Columbian 
Government  granted  to  "The  Civil  International 
Oceanic  Canal  Co."  the  exclusive  privilege  of 
constructing  the  canal,  at  the  same  time  neu- 
tralizing both  the  canal  and  its  ports.  In  1879, 
or  the  year  following  the  act,  M.  de  Lesseps  took 
the  matter  in  hand,  to  the  end  that  actual  con- 
struction commenced  two  years  later.  This 
great  undertaking  was  by  no  means  as  it  may 
seem,  a  modern  idea.  A  proposalto  pierce  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  was  made  in  1520  by  Angel 
San  Vedra.  Cortez  in  1550  caused  a  survey  to 
be  made  across  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  for 
a  like  purpose,  while  Antoine  Galvao  presented 
four  different  routes,  one  being  over  the  iden- 
tical ground  selected  by  the  French  Company, 
and  which  is  practically  that  of  the  railway,  as 
follows :  Leaving  Colon,  it  intercepts  the  Cha- 
gres,  following  its  northern  bank  to  Barbacous, 
where  it  crosses,  following  its  southern  bank 
for  a  distance,  thence  pursuing  a  tributary  of 
the  Obispo  to  the  Culebra  Col,  from  which  it  de- 
scends straight  to  Panama,  while  the  canal  in 
its  location  down  the  Pacific  slope  follows  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  has  a  length  of 
fifty-four  miles,  or  seven  miles  greater  than  the 
railway,  owing  to  its  necessity  of  more  closely 
contouring  the  country. 

Here  at  the  Pacific  terminus  of  both  railway 
and  canal  lies  the  quaint  old  city  of  Panama, 
the  oldest  European  city  upon  this  Continent, 


86  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

and  during  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries, 
the  most  strongly  fortified  of  any  of  South 
America.  Originally  founded  in  1518  by  Pe- 
dro Arias  Davila,  and  built  upon  a  site  a  short 
distance  from  the  present  one,  it  grew  into  a  rich 
and  prosperous  town,  abounding  with  luxurious 
dwellings  and  other  evidences  of  wealth,  when 
in  1617  it  was  raided  by  Morgan's  Buccaneers, 
pillaged  and  burned,  amidst  revolting  scenes  of 
murder  and  rapine.  Two  years  later  a  new 
city  was  founded  upon  the  present  site  by  Villa- 
courte. 

It  is  situated  upon  a  coral  reef  which  ex- 
tends far  out  into  the  bay,  and  reaches  so  near 
the  surface  of  the  water  that  at  lowest  tide  large 
areas  near  the  city  front  are  exposed.  The  ver- 
tical height  here  measured  by  the  two  extremes 
of  tide  exceeds  fifteen  feet,  or  more  than  six 
times  that  of  the  Atlantic  coast  at  Aspinwall. 

This  matter  of  difference  in  tides  caused 
much  calculation  in  the  design  of  the  canal  as  to 
the  best  results  to  be  obtained,  from  either  ob- 
structing the  canal  with  a  "lock,"  or  creating  a 
grade  and  encountering  the  resultant  current. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

Late  at  night  in  the  harbor  of  Panama,  the 
chains  rattled  as  the  anchor  was  hoisted  at  the 
bow  of  the  Grenada,  the  ship  of  the  Pacific 
Mail  line  that  was  to  convey  us  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  her  propeller  began  to  churn  the 
waters  of  a  new  sea  as  she  poked  her  nose  swiftly 
out  inta  the  broad  Pacific.  Like  some  carrier 
pigeon  as  it  soars  upward  to  a  dizzy  height  ere 
it  shapes  it  course  for  the  homeward  route,  so 
did  the  Grenada  push  so  far  out  into  the  mag- 
nificent waste  of  waters,  that  when  morning 
dawned  and  she  had  headed  northward,  the  coast 
line  of  the  Isthmus  was  lost  to  view.  Over  a 
magnificent  sea,  disturbed  only  by  the  long 
heavy  swell,  she  sailed  northward,  passing  the 
coasts  of  Nicaragua,  Honduras  and  Guatemala. 
Then  heading  shoreward,  entered  the  beautiful 
harbor  of  that  seemingly  unworthy,  uninviting 
little  town  Acupulco,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Mexico. 

It  was  near  the  middle  of  a  terriffically  hot 
afternoon,  when  the  Grenada  dropped  her 
anchor  in  the  little  land-locked  bay,  some 
distance  from  the  shore.  Occasionally  a  great 
shark  rolled  its  side  lazily  to  the  surface,  as  a 
quantity  of  garbage  was  cast  overboard  from  the 
kitchen,  which,  together  with  a  score  or  more  of 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

naked  native  boys  who  swam  about  the  ship, 
eager  to  recover  coins  which  the  more  curious 
and  enthusiastic  of  the  passengers  might  be  in- 
duced to  toss  into  the  sea,  seemed  to  constitute 
the  ship's  entire  reception  committee,  and  the 
only  apparent  life  of  the  harbor  and  its  sur- 
roundings. The  little  town  lay  listless  and 
sleeping  at  the  foot  of  the  amphitheatre  into 
which  the  bay  extended.  Its  low  adobe  build- 
ings and  huts  of  uniform  style  of  architecture, 
from  whence  no  sign  of  life  proceeded,  whose 
sunburned  walls  shimmered  and  glared  from  be- 
neath the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun,  as  they  rested 
like  homes  of  the  dead  upon  the  shores  of  a  glis- 
tening, simmering,  silent  sea.  In  the  smoking 
room  of  the  ship  a  thermometer  registered  118 
degrees  Fahrenheit  as  a  party  started  to  row 
ashore.  High  up  above  the  town  and  overlook- 
ing the  bay,  was  perched  an  old  fort,  now  chiefly 
used  as  a  prison.  A  revolution  was  in  progress 
in  the  district,  as  at  all  times  somewhere  in  the 
republic,  and  especially  on  its  frontier,  the  Pa- 
cific coast.  For  the  controlling  hand  of  Por- 
forio  Diaz,  that  greatest  of  modern  rulers,  had 
not  yet  reduced  the  turbulent  territory  to  its 
present  peaceful,  patriotic  condition.  About 
the  town  there  was  little  of  interest.  Its  streets 
were  as  empty  as  they  appeared  from  the  ship. 
Through  open  doorways  people  might  be  seen 
in  scanty  attire,  engaged  not  in  the  attempt  of, 
keeping  cool,  but  in  that  of  preventing  them- 
selves from  becoming  cooked  well  done.  Wait- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  89 

ing  to  be  taken  on  board  were  a  few  passengers 
from  the  City  of  Mexico,  who  had  journeyed 
overland  with  pack  and  saddle  animals.  At  the 
fort  on  the  hill,  barefooted  and  half  naked  sen- 
tries paced  dignifiedly  about  the  court,  when  not 
sleeping  in  the  shady  recesses  of  its  inner  wall. 
Through  low-grated  windows,  opening  upon  a 
level  with  the  court  pavement,  one  peered  into 
the  dungeons  below.  The  sight  was  revolting 
and  the  odor  sickening.  Crowded  into  these 
dimly  lighted,  unventilated  subterranean  recep- 
tacles were  masses  of  half  starved,  half  naked, 
half  suffocated,  filth-begrimed  and  vermin-in- 
fested wretches,  possessed  of  no  sanitary  con- 
veniences, were  fed  like  swine  from  a  common 
trough,  and  in  sleeping  upon  the  stone  floor, 
owing  to  their  numbers,  each  to  some  extent 
overlaid  another.  From  a  grated  apartment 
opening  into  the  court  was  seen  the  beckonings 
of  a  man  whose  face,  despite  its  uncleanliness, 
gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  his  Saxon  in- 
heritance. His  speech  bore  the  unmistakable 
accent  of  an  Englishman.  He  was  clad  in  the 
shirt  and  trousers  of  a  seaman,  and  from  pro- 
tected portions  it  might  be  seen  that  they  were 
of  a  flannel  originally  white.  Reciting  the 
story  of  his  misfortune,  he  claimed  to  have  been 
a  seaman  on  board  a  British  vessel,  which  put- 
ting into  Acupulco  and  being  at  anchor  for  a 
few  days,  he  came  ashore  one  night,  became  in- 
toxicated, invaded  the  scene  of  a  Mexican  dance, 
got  well  beaten  up,  and  awoke  next  morning  in 


90  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

durance  vile,  where  he  had  remained  ever  since. 
The  ship  sailed  that  very  night,  or  early  in  the 
morning.  Not  understanding  the  language,  he 
had  been  unable  to  gain  any  information,  either 
as  to  the  charge  against  him,  or  the  length  of 
time  for  which  he  was  sentenced.  He  was  pen- 
niless, and  though  his  incarceration  was  distress- 
ing, his  liberty  under  the  circumstances,  and  for 
the  time  at  least,  would  but  add  to  the  embar- 
rassment of  his  situation. 

Poking  a  contribution  of  small  coins  and 
smoking  tobacco  through  the  iron  bars  of  his  se- 
cure though  undesirable  apartment,  he  was  left 
to  a  further  and  more  exact  determination  of 
the  enormity  of  his  transgression  as  deduced 
from  the  particular  degree  of  hardness  of  which 
his  way  was  possessed. 

Putting  out  of  the  little  harbor,  the  Gren- 
ada again  headed  northward,  touching  at  Man- 
zanillo,  thence  on  to  Mazatlan,  which,  though  the 
largest  of  Mexico's  Pacific  ports,  has  no  harbor, 
but  "lighters"  its  freight  and  passengers  to  and 
from  large,  vessels,  at  times  a  most  exciting  and 
hazardous  undertaking. 

From  here  the  course  lies  almost  due  west 
across  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  California, 
whereby  to  clear  Cape  San  Lucas,  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California, 
after  which,  and  with  a  temperature  now  sud- 
denly reduced  some  twenty  degrees,  she  again 
shaped  her  course  northward  for  a  straightaway 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  91 

run  to  San  Francisco.  Little  occurred  hence- 
forth to  even  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  youthful 
and  verdant  travelers.  It  was  felt  that  strange 
lands  and  unusual  scenes  were  now  passed.  The 
Southern  Cross  had  disappeared,  while  Polaris 
and  the  Great  Dipper  rose  to  their  accustomed 
places  in  the  north. 

Later  one  bright  morning,  after  hugging  the 
coast  for  some  hours,  a  small  rocky  island  was 
passed  lying  some  distance  to  starboard,  and  so 
close  to  shore  as  to  seem  part  of  the  mainland, 
and  from  which  came  the  yelping  of  innumer- 
able seals,  which,  immediately  afterward,  the 
Grenada,  slackening  speed,  rounded  gracefully 
and  pointed  her  prow  toward  a  suddenly  dis- 
closed and  narrow  opening  in  the  coast  line.  It 
was  the  Golden  Gate.  How  the  writer  strug- 
gled to  embrace  this  opportunity,  and  more  fully 
employ  the  seeming  brief  period  for  observation 
of  that  of  which,  through  poetic  tales  of  Califor- 
nia, he  had  viewed  for  so  long  in  youthful  vision, 
pictures  so  false  and  fanciful  that  now  there 
was  felt  a  tinge  of  disappointment,  in  that  no 
gilded  surfaces  reflected  back  the  bright  rays  of 
the  morning  sun,  or  in  fancy  swinging  upon  its 
massive  hinges,  an  actual  gate  of  the  precious 
metal  clasped  within  its  golden  embrace  another 
Argonaut.  Slowly  steaming  up  the  beautiful 
bay,  then  rounding  "Telegraph  Hill,"  the  long 
water  front  of  the  city,  fringed  with  a  tangle  of 
shipping,  and  bristling  with  the  masts  of  a  hun- 
dred vessels,  stretched  in  front  and  far  away, 


92  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

until  undefinable  and  lost  in  haze  and  distance. 
Stealthily  the  Grenada  crept  along  the  line,  until 
reaching  the  opening  awaiting  her,  she  floated 
silently  in,  gave  a  few  convulsive  turns  of  the 
propeller,  then  ground  her  massive  side  against 
the  creaking  piles,  her  extremities  were  made 
fast,  when  listlessly  and  lovingly  she  at  last 
nestled  beside  the  golden  shores  of  California. 

San  Francisco's  earthquakes  possessed  nat- 
urally a  peculiar  and  exciting  fascination  for 
the  youth  who  had  read  Mark  Twain's  account 
of  one,  occurring  several  years  previous,  and  was 
really  one  of  the  experiences  that  was  impa- 
tiently awaited.  And  now  but  a  few  days  had 
elapsed  when  a  shock  occurred,  which,  though  it 
seemed  to  have  little  effect  on  San  Francisco  or 
its  buildings,  absolutely  shattered  and  destroyed 
an  air  castle  which  the  writer  had  spent  long 
days  and  nights  in  building.  A  decision  had 
been  reached  whereby  Pacific  mail  passed  under 
the  management  of  the  Panama  Transit  Co.  and 
Gould  officials  were  no  more. 

San  Francisco  had  many  years  since 
emerged  from  that  tornado  of  excitement  occa- 
sioned by  the  deluge  of  gold  derived  from  its 
placers,  and  was  now  submerged  in  another  little 
less  in  its  magnitude  and  uncontrollable  frenzy. 

The  great  "Comstock"  lode  of  Nevada,  by 
far  the  greatest  individual  occurrence  of  pre- 
cious metal  ores  the  world  has  yet  ever  seen, 
was  then  resting  near  the  zenith  of  its  fame  and 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  93 

production.  The  great  ''Bonanza"  was  devel- 
oping a  magnitude  that  baffled  the  most  expert 
in  their  attempt  to  determine  its  limit.  Indeed, 
the  evidence  was  so  great  that  the  whole  finan- 
cial world  for  the  time  stopped  in  its  mad  ca- 
reer, while  over  the  silent  glances  of  inquiry 
they  cast  one  upon  another,  there  hung  the  hush 
of  palsied  fright  lest  here  might  result  a  produc- 
tion so  great  as  to  destroy  the  function  of  both 
gold  and  silver  as  money  metals.  In  the  midst 
of  all  this  the  stocks  of  these  holdings  soared  up- 
ward, faltering  now  and  then  and  fluttering 
back  toward  earth  again,  then  with  redoubled 
strength  darting  to  a  greater  height  than  hereto- 
fore, until  the  public,  beguiled  into  a  firm  belief 
in  the  infinity  of  their  upward  movement, 
bought  and  sold  and  bought  again,  as  the  fraud- 
ulent information,  and  self  opinionated  judg- 
ment they  possessed,  taught  them  the  proper 
changes  were  to  make.  Thus,  the  mad  mass  of 
mixed  mankind  tore  and  trampled  each  other  in 
their  frenzied  attempt  to  get  something  for  noth- 
ing— thus  madly  rushed  and  grabbed  and  jos- 
tled, for  judgment  had  lost  its  sway.  Fortunes 
were  made  and,  as  since  learned,  lost  daily. 
One  heard  only  of  those  made.  We  seldom  do. 
The  making  of  a  fortune  through  specula- 
tion in  these  stocks  seemed  to  all  a  simple  mat- 
ter. The  mind  dwelt  lovingly  upon  the  possi- 
bility of  acquiring  one  of  so  great  magnitude. 
A  multitude  of  equally  ridiculous  theories  and 
fancies  filled  the  mind,  and  yet  why  so  ridicu- 


94  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

lous  ?  Had  not  (but  the  day  preceding,  so  to 
speak)  Flood  and  O'Brien  been  saloon  keepers 
here  in  San  Francisco,  and  John  Mackey  and 
Jim  Fair  but  ordinary  miners  behind  the  pick 
and  drill  ?  And  had  one  met  with  the  success 
that  fancy  painted  (like  in  their  case),  would 
not  the  world  have  resounded  with  murmurs  of 
admiration  at  the  accomplishment?  But  fail- 
ure being  the  result,  one  had  of  course  lost  his 
money  gambling  in  stocks — the  most  senseless, 
inexcusable,  depraved  form  of  gambling.  This 
same  world  said  so,  hence  it  must  be  true,  irrec- 
oncilable as  its  two  views  of  the  matter  may 
seem.  Yet  one  may  here  ask,  what  title  shall 
we  apply  to  the  entire  competitive  system  of 
traffic  as  forever  engaged  in  by  the  world  at 
large  ?  But  a  brief  season  spent  in  the  midst  of 
this  mad  and  motley  throng  was  required  to  dis- 
courage the  writer  in  further  attempt  at  acquir- 
ing a  sudden  fortune  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and 
folding  his  tent  and  stealing  silently  out  and 
away  from  this  deadly  yet  infatuating  atmos- 
phere of  disaster  and  distress,  he,  one  soft  sum- 
mer evening  not  long  thereafter,  stepped  from 
the  train  at  Salem.  The  sun  was  just  setting 
and  seemed  to  mark  not  only  the  close  of  day, 
but  of  adventure  also. 


The  deep  snows  and  chilling  blasts  of  the 
following  !New  England  winter  brought  new 
longings  for  the  bright  sunshine,  magnificent 
distances,  and  free,  unfettered  existence  of  the 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  95 

Far  West;  when,  again  influenced  by  exciting 
and  fanciful  tales,  and  the  existence  of  gold  and 
silver  mining,  which  as  ever  possessed  its  charm, 
Colorado,  then  but  recently  admitted  to  the 
Union,  and  known  as  the  Centennial  State,  had 
little  competition  from  California  in  its  influ- 
ence upon  one  whose  experiences  with  the  latter 
had  been  of  the  usual  sort. 

The  now  beautiful  city  of  Denver  was  at 
this  time  but  a  big,  overgrown  village,  present- 
ing race,  social  types  and  customs,  which  though 
strange,  were  indeed  interesting  and  attractive. 
Then,  the  great  area  embraced  by  the  common- 
wealth was  about  equally  divided  in  its  occupa- 
tion and  uses  between  the  red  man  and  the 
white  man.  Of  the  Indians  there  had  been 
mainly  two  tribes  in  Colorado.  The  Utes,  oc- 
cupying the  entire  mountainous  portions,  and 
the  Arapahoes,  who  dwelt  east  of  the  front 
range  and  upon  the  great  plains  which  stretched 
away  to  the  Missouri  River. 

These  plain  and  mountain  tribes  had  ever 
been  at  war  with  each  other.  The  Arapahoes  hav- 
ing a  taste  for  the  deer,  grouse  and  fish  of  the 
mountainous  Utes,  and  the  Utes  in  turn  having 
a  longing  for  the  antelope  and  buffalo,  they 
were  led  to  continuous  poaching  and  incessant 
warfare. 

The  Arapahoes  upon  the  plains  were  in  the 
direct  pathway  of  the  pioneer  in  his  pilgrimage 
westward,  and  to  vary  his  otherwise  monotonous 
life,  engaged  zealously  in  "busting"  Pike's  Peak 


96  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

expeditions,  so  zealously  in  fact,  that,  as  a  final 
result  in  the  struggle  for  the  survival  of  the  fit- 
test as  between  the  pioneer  and  the  Arapahoe, 
the  Arapahoe  was  at  last  wiped  out,  and  that 
but  a  short  time  prior  to  the  writer's  arrival, 
through  what  was  known  as  the  "Sand  Creek" 
massacre,  conducted  by  one  Col.  Chivington, 
who  divided  his  talents  between  services  for  the 
government  in  frontier  warfare,  and  preaching 
the  gospel  to  frontier  wayfarers,  and  a  familiar 
figure  upon  the  streets  of  Denver  for  many  years 
thereafter. 

The  Utes,  however,  remained  practically  un- 
interfering  and  interfered  with.  Few  in  the 
search  for  gold  or  otherwise,  had  as  yet  at- 
tempted any  considerable  operations  near  the 
borders  of  their  domain.  Mining  operations 
were  chiefly  confined  to  the  counties  of  Clear 
Creek,  Gilpin  and  Boulder,  which  lay  near  the 
border  of  the  great  plain.  Denver  had  growTi  to 
such  exceeding  proportions  as  compared  with 
the  outside  settlements,  mining  camps,  military 
posts,  etc.,  that  it  became  as  attractive  to  the 
Indians  as  to  the  white  man,  to  the  end  that  as 
late  as  the  writer's  arrival  early  in  the  year 
1877,  bands  of  Utes,  sometimes  a  hundred  or 
more  in  number,  might  frequently  have  been 
seen  riding  through  the  streets  of  the  town, 
while  quite  considerable  was  the  trade  they  fur- 
nished in  the  purchase  of  guns,  ammunition  and 
gaudy  trinkets.  The  Arapahoes  no  longer  ap- 
peared in  street  scenes,  for  reasons  hereinbefore 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  97 

stated.  But  as  his  successor,  came  the  ambi- 
tious and  demonstrative  little  troops  of  gay  and 
festive  "cow  punchers."  For  now,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Arapahoe  and  buffalo,  the  plains 
swarmed  with  herds  of  cattle,  which  with  little 
expense  for  attention,  and  feasting  and  fatten- 
ing on  the  free  food  of  a  generous  government, 
provided  an  easy  and  certain  source  of  wealth 
that  required  no  extremely  high  degree  of  exer- 
tion or  genius  to  acquire.  Again,  the  miner 
and  prospector,  coming  down  from  their  moun- 
tain fastnesses  and  subterranean  abodes,  were 
conspicuous  by  day  about  the  streets,  and  at 
night  in  the  front  rows  of  the  "Palace,"  and 
other  variety  theatres  of  Blake  street. 

The  Ute  and  cow  puncher  attraction,  though 
still  presented  at  rare  intervals  and  upon  special 
occasions  only,  are  upon  such  homeopathic  scale, 
and  so  domesticated  as  to  appear  scarce  recog- 
nizable and  exceedingly  tame,  while  the  miner, 
though  greater  in  numbers  than  then,  are  not 
great  enough  to  have  maintained  their  position 
amongst  the  myriad  of  new  features  and  attrac- 
tions, which  have  accompanied  the  rapid  change 
from  town  to  city. 

Denver,  though  the  center  of  a  vast  region 
which  surrounded  it,  was  at  the  time  a  most  diffi- 
cult place  in  which  to  secure  employment.  Its 
extremely  arid  and  healthful  climate  rendered  it 
such,  being  most  conducive  to  the  relief,  if  not 
the  absolute  cure,  of  pulmonary  ailments.  It 
called  here  great  numbers  of  Eastern  parties 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

thus  afflicted,  many  of  whom  were  not  so  far 
advanced  as  to  in  any  great  degree  destroy  their 
ability  to  labor ;  and,  either  through  necessity  or 
a  desire  to  be  occupied,  or  both,  sought  every 
vacancy  of  whatsoever  kind,  to  an  extent  which 
filled  the  field  to  overflowing. 

Colorado,  though  in  1877  enjoying  its  sec- 
ond year  of  statehood,  its  population  was  yet  in 
fact  far  short  of  the  legitimate  requirements  for 
such. 

The  office  of  the  U.  S.  Surveyor  General, 
which  governed  all  surveys  (both  land  and  min- 
eral) of  the  general  government  in  Colorado, 
was  located  in  Denver,  and  each  spring  con- 
tracts were  let  and  parties  sent  into  the  moun- 
tains and  out  upon  the  plains  in  the  establish- 
ment of  standard  lines,  and  the  subdivision  of 
the  public  lands.  It  was  a  wild,  free,  unfet- 
tered life  in  camp  in  the  bracing  atmosphere  of 
this  elevated  arid  region,  with  its  days  of  activ- 
ity in  an  unceasing  sunshine,  and  its  nights  of 
slumber  undisturbed  save  by  the  call  of  a  prowl- 
ing coyote,  or  the  snorts  of  the  camp  mules  as 
they  stampeded  about  at  the  end  of  their  picket 
ropes  in  the  endeavor  to  free  themselves  from 
the  presence  of  some  bear  who  sought  to  share  the 
camp's  supply  of  food.  It  was  an  ideal  occupa- 
tion for  inexperienced  and  adventurous  youth, 
free  from  competition  on  the  part  of  invalids, 
and  one  in  which  the  writer  finally  found  him- 
self engaged  far  away  up  in  the  mountains  that 
bordered  the  plains  to  the  west  of  Greeley  and 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  99 

Fort  Collins ;  and  here  for  a  lengthy  period  and 
from  early  morn  until  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
scaled  the  mountain  sides  along  arbitrary  path- 
ways pointed  out  by  the  solar  transit. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

The  survey  having  finally  completed  its 
work,  the  outfit  wended  its  way  down  out  of 
the  mountains  in  the  early  part  of  May,  follow- 
ing the  tempestuous  waters  of  the  Cache  la 
Poudre,  in  their  wild  descent  from  the  endless 
fields  of  now  melting  snows  which  gave  them 
birth  far  up  on  the  sun-lit  summit  of  the  Med- 
icine Bow  Range  to  the  west,  on  through  the 
old  French  trading  post  and  trappers'  camp  of 
La  Porte,  nestled  by  the  river  side,  near  where 
its  waters,  freed  from  their  rocky  barrier,  cease 
their  relentless  battling,  and  with  passion  sud- 
denly subdued,  glide  peacefully  forth  with 
pleasant,  joyous  murmurings,  far  out  yonder  to 
the  east,  where,  mingling  with  that  of  its  com- 
panion, the  Platte,  they  together  journey  har- 
moniously eastward  across  the  boundless  plain. 
On  down  the  Cache  la  Poudre  the  little  outfit 
wended  its  way,  through  the  then  struggling 
hamlet  of  Greeley  ( a  settlement  then  unfinished 
and  featureless  save  in  its  already  well  estab- 
lished possession  of  prohibition  and  productive- 
ness) ;  thence  southwards  the  little  band  trailed 
slowly  up  the  valley  of  the  Platte  to  Denver. 

The  Surveyor  General  waited  upon  the  side- 
walk in  front  of  the  government  office  the  ap- 
proach of  the  outfit  as  he  saw  it  a  block  or  more 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  101 

away  along  Larimer  street,  moving  slowly  to- 
ward him.  Beside  him  stood  a  man  some  forty 
years  of  age,  in  height  about  five  feet  nine 
inches,  of  strong  build  and  active;  possessing 
an  evidently  ideal  constitution  for  combatting 
the  hardships  and  exposures  of  a  frontier  camp 
life,  with  which  his  general  appearance  gave 
pretty  conclusive  evidence  of  extended  experi- 
ence. His  name  was  Isaac  F.  Evans,  a  pros- 
pector and  miner  for  twenty  years  preceding; 
he  had  wandered  through  the  gold  and  silver 
fields  of  California,  Nevada,  Idaho  and  Mon- 
tana, and  was  amongst  the  first  to  wash  the  au- 
riferous sands  of  California  Gulch,  and  upon 
the  immediate  site  of  the  present  city  of  Lead- 
ville  in  Colorado.  In  fact  the  widely  known 
Big  and  Little  Evans  gulches  (forks  of  Califor- 
nia Gulch)  were  in  those  early  days  named  for 
him.  Early  in  the  sixties  he  claimed  to  have 
crossed  with  pack  and  saddle  animals,  and  in 
company  with  others  from  Salt  Lake  in  Utah, 
to  Denver,  and  upon  a  stream  west  of  the  main 
range  of  the  Rockies  to  have  discovered  rich  dig- 
gings; the  Ute  Indians  of  that  region,  then 
wholly  unaccustomed  to  such  encroachment, 
hurried  them  away  from  their  rich  find,  to 
wrhich  they,  becoming  scattered,  had  never  yet 
attempted  a  return. 

It  was  now  the  ambition  of  the  man  to  en- 
gage in  the  undertaking,  but  that  affliction  so 
common  amongst  prospectors  possessed  him,  he 


102  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

was  "dead  broke/'  and  must  be  staked  to  "grub" 
and  an  "outfit." 

It  was  the  ideal  proposition  to  excite  and 
attract  a  young  romantic  "tenderfoot/7  and  it 
did  to  the  extent  that  but  a  few  days  later,  and 
upon  a  bright  morning  in  the  early  part  of  May, 
each  with  a  saddle  horse,  and  driving  three  pack 
horses  before,  Evans,  accompanied  by  the  writer, 
filed  out  of  the  town  and  shaped  a  course  west- 
ward over  the  range  and  to  the  Pacific  Slope, 
entering  the  foot  hills  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey 
Creek,  fourteen  miles  south  from  Denver,  and 
following  up  the  stream  and  along  a  wagon  road 
leading  to  South  Park  and  over  the  Park  Kange 
to  the  old  placer  camp  of  California  Gulch, 
where  Leadville  is  now  located. 

The  Park  Range  was  crossed  from  South 
Park  to  the  Valley  of  the  Arkansas  through 
what  is  known  as  Weston's  Pass,  now  so  ob- 
structed by  washouts,  fallen  trees  and  remain- 
ing snow  banks  as  to  render  it  almost  impass- 
able at  numerous  points  even  for  the  pack  ani- 
mals. Reaching  the  summit  of  the  pass,  from 
which  looking  down  into  the  great  drain  of  the 
Arkansas  River,  and  farther  to  the  westward 
over  a  maze  of  mountain  peaks,  Evans,  sitting 
upon  his  horse,  looked  about  him,  then  down 
into  the  valley  and  far  away  up  toward  its  head, 
past  the  mouth  of  old  California  Gulch,  then 
described  a  semicircle  with  his  arm  and  said: 
"Right  here  within  fifteen  miles  of  where  we 
are  standing  is  a  section  of  country  which  if  a 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  103 

man  will  cast  his  lot  with  for  fifteen  years,  and 
has  half  sense,  he  can  go  out  of  it  a  rich  man." 

Little  impression,  save  in  a  general  way,  did 
this  remark  at  the  time  make  upon  the  writer. 
He  had  been  warned  against  the  positiveness  of 
old  prospectors,  founded  upon  the  poetic  dreams 
with  which  as  a  class  they  were  afflicted.  Nor 
did  he  but  faintly,  in  all  the  fancifulness  and 
romance  of  his  youthful  mind,  outline  that 
graphic  scene  of  wealth,  prosperity  and  excite- 
ment so  soon  to  be  enacted  within  the  borders 
here  described,  and  which  to  such  an  extent  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  entire  civilized 
world. 

Descending  into  the  valley  the  trail  led  up 
the  river  to  the  little  settlement  of  Malta,  con- 
sisting of  half  a  dozen  or  more  rough  board 
houses,  and  situate  at  the  mouth  of  California 
Gulch.  Here  H.  A.  W.  Tabor  (soon  thereafter 
millionaire,  mine  owner  and  United  States  Sen- 
ator from  Colorado)  was  at  the  time  established 
with  a  diminutive  stock  of  general  supplies. 
Camping  for  a  couple  of  days  to  rest  the  stock, 
which  had  now  undergone  a  continuous  march 
of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  the  time 
was  passed  in  most  interesting  study  of  the  evi- 
dences of  earlier  doings. 

Amongst  the  few  remaining  denizens  of  the 
gulch  there  was  some  considerable  comment 
upon  the  discovery  of  a  "carbonate  of  lead"  ore, 
running  more  or  less  in  silver,  some  of  it  ex- 
tremely high,  which  had  been  discovered  in 


104  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

place  upon  the  adjacent  hillsides,  and  about  half 
way  between  the  month  of  the  gulch  and  Oro 
City,  at  its  head.  The  first  of  these  discov- 
eries was  made  by  J.  F.  Bradshaw.  Bradshaw's 
discovery  Avas  in  the  "Ore  La  Plata/'  a  claim 
whose  northerly  end  line  was  near  the  gulch 
and  which  extended  southerly  therefrom.  Ste- 
vens and  Wood,  who  were  engaged  in  placering 
in  the  gulch,  also  made  a  discovery  upon  the 
"Rock"  claim,  but  a  short  distance  below  Brad- 
shaw's  discovery.  Each  of  these  discoveries 
were  made  during  the  summer  of  1874.  And 
though  much  question  has  arisen  since  as  to 
which  is  due  the  credit  of  the  first  discovery, 
Stevens  and  Wood  having  remained  and  grown 
wealthy,  while  Bradshaw  after  the  manner  of 
many  itinerant  prospectors,  having  parted  with 
his  interests  for  a  mere  trifle,  left  for  other 
fields,  until  which  time  there  certainly  was  no 
question  raised  regarding  the  matter,  and  none 
disputed  Bradshaw  as  the  original  discoverer. 
However,  until  this  time  even,  which  was  late 
in  the  spring  of  1877,  neither  of  these  discov- 
eries amounted  to  much  as  compared  with  a  dis- 
covery made  but  a  few  months  previous,  or  late 
in  1876,  by  the  Gallagher  brothers,  in  what  was 
known  as  the  "Camp  Bird."  Mr.  Wood,  of  Ste- 
vens and  Wood,  referred  to,  had  in  the  course  of 
his  placer  operations  noted  the  existence  of  this 
"float,"  which  clue  to  its  high  specific  gravity 
collected  in  the  "riffles"  of  his  flume  and  gave 
some  annoyance,  but  this  was  a  commonplace 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  105 

and  familiar  occurrence  with  the  earlier  placer 
miners  here,  who  had  long  preceded  him.  The 
Camp  Bird  shaft  sunk  (irrational  as  it  may 
seem)  blindly  in  the  vegetable  mould  of  a  then 
dense  forest.  When  at  a  depth  of  less  than  ten 
feet  (and  penetrating  nothing  but  loose  earth 
and  "wash"),  a  body  of  "soft77  carbonates  was 
encountered  in  such  a  state  of  incoherency  that 
a  pointed  shovel  might  be  sunk  therein  to  the 
handle,  and  carrying  so  high  a  percentage  of 
lead  that  not  more  than  half  a  shovelful  could 
be  thrown  to  the  surface. 

So  profound  an  impression  now  forced  itself 
upon  the  mind  that,  in  resuming  the  journey 
westward,  interest  was  found  divided  as  between 
the  uncertain  placer  gold  that  lay  beyond,  and 
the  unquestionable  silver  and  lead  which  was 
being  left  behind. 

Continuing  the  course  up  the  valley  of  the 
Arkansas  and  crossing  "Tennessee  Park77  (a 
simple  widening  of  the  valley),  the  ascent  was 
commenced  of  that  low  and  easy  route  known  as 
Tennessee  Pass,  crossing  the  vertebrae  of  the 
American  continent.  Upon  its  exact  summit 
rested  a  huge  snow  bank,  which  now  melting 
divided  its  product  about  equally  between  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  east,  and  the  Pacific  on 
the  west.  Following  the  trickling  western  con- 
tribution along  its  sinuous  course,  it  gradually 
augmented  in  volume  until  at  last  it  had  devel- 
oped into  a  formidable  stream  known  as  the 


106  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Eagle  River.  Down  this  the  course  continued, 
interrupted  at  intervals  by  projecting  and  im- 
passable rocky  points,  then  fording  the  river  to 
its  opposite  bank,  only  to  become  entangled  there 
in  a  maze  of  fallen  timber,  for  it  will  be  under- 
stood that  this  territory  was  then  as  devoid  of 
any  evidence  of  the  handiwork  of  man  as  in  the 
earliest  days  of  its  creation.  The  great  iron 
pathway  of  the  Denver  and  Eio  Grande  railway 
had  not  yet  been  hewn  along  the  walls  of  this  in- 
tricate and  almost  impenetrable  defile.  No 
other  life  in  its  wanderings  save  that  of  the  In- 
dian and  the  game  marked  the  deep,  dark  vege- 
table mould  of  the  silent  forest,  or  trampled  be- 
neath its  feet  the  lovely  Columbine  as  it  reared 
its  graceful  form  above  the  rich  thick  grasses, 
and  its  companions  of  brighter  hue  which  luxu- 
riantly carpeted  the  surface  of  the  mountain 
park. 

The  startled  deer  would  hasten  from  their 
concealment  in  the  willows  at  the  bank  of  the 
stream  to  some  imaginary  place  of  safety  on  the 
hillside,  where  with  mingled  curiosity  and  in- 
quisitiveness  they  would  huddle  together  and 
stamp  their  feet  in  protest  at  the  intrusion. 

Continuing  down  the  stream  to  a  point  some- 
where between  the  present  stations  of  Red  Cliff 
and  Minturn,  and  being  now  well  down  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  Continental  Divide,  Evans 
calculated  that  sufficient  distance  in  a  northerly 
direction  had  been  gained,  and  leaving  the  val- 
ley of  the  Eagle,  turned  southwesterly  along  the 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  107 

western  slope  of  the  range  to  cross  its  many 
drains,  and  if  possible  find  the  tributary  of  the 
Grand  River,  which  contained  the  golden  sands 
sought. 

It  was  early  summer  and  the  melting  snow 
higher  up  in  the  range  created  swollen  streams 
difficult  to  ford.  The  ridges  or  divides  be- 
tween these  streams  were  not  only  steep  and 
rough,  but  covered  either  with  an  almost  impen- 
etrable growth  of  "jack  pines,"  or  a  network  of 
fallen  timber. 

For  several  days  combatting  this  condition, 
the  conclusion  was  reached  to  drop  further  down 
the  drainage,  where  the  current  of  the  streams 
was  less  swift,  and  the  country  to  a  greater  de- 
gree free  from  fallen  timber  and  rough  ground. 
Later  one  morning,  in  turning  the  bend  of  the 
stream  down  which  the  course  led,  there  sud- 
denly appeared  an  Indian  camp  not  more  than 
one  hundred  yards  distant.  In  the  belief  of  be- 
ing unobserved,  an  attempt  was  made  to  quietly 
retrace  the  course,  then  discovering  the  mistake, 
rode  boldly  into  camp.  But  two  or  three  In- 
dians were  visible  about  the  quiet,  sleepy  rendez- 
vous, yet  the  numerous  smouldering  camp  fires, 
together  with  the  herd  of  ponies  on  the  hillside 
across  the  stream,  bespoke  additional  numbers. 
Soon,  however,  they  appeared  from  all  sources 
and  directions,  crawling  out  of  "tepees"  and 
"lodges,"  out  of  the  brush,  from  behind  rocks, 
and  seemingly  rising  out  of  the  ground,  until 


108  REMINISCENT    KAMBLISTGS. 

the  place  swarmed  with  them.  Indulging  in  all 
sorts  of  humor,  some  joked  and  laughed,  some 
looked  grave  and  serious,  while  others  frowned 
significantly.  None  spoke  any  English,  but 
much  comment  and  discussion  was  carried  on 
in  Ute. 

Finally  three  sullen  looking  committeemen 
approaching,  made  it  quite  clear  that  the  best 
course  to  pursue  was  to  return  by  the  direct  path 
we  had  come,  and  waste  as  litttle  time  as  conven- 
ient in  so  doing.  Astonished  at  the  readiness 
with  which  (under  the  circumstances)  we  under- 
stood the  Ute  tongue,  no  time  was  lost  in  strict 
obedience. 

Meanwhile  the  pack  animals,  which  had 
strolled  on  beyond  the  camp,  were  rounded  up 
and  returned,  when  with  an  entire  change  of 
plan,  we  trailed  back  up  the  valley.  Journey- 
ing until  nightfall,  we  camped  and  sat  late  about 
the  camp  fire,  mapping  a  new  course.  Evans 
finally  decided  that  it  was  now  safe  to  renew 
the  southern  course  with  a  fair  degree  of  safety. 
Of  course,  the  fact  was  realized  that  to  be  caught 
again  in  the  attempt  to  steal  past  them  would 
unquestionably  prove  disastrous,  as  these  North- 
ern Utes,  under  the  leadership  of  that  very  un- 
certain quantity,  "Chief  Colorow,"  were  at  this 
time  not  to  be  trifled  with.  Many  a  prospector, 
lured  by  the  gold  believed  to  exist  upon  this  for- 
bidden ground,  had  wandered  away  into  this 
same  Ute  Indian  country,  never  to  reappear.  As 
a  rule  there  were  none  in  the  country  near 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  109 

enough  related  or  sufficiently  interested  to  more 
than  remark  their  absence.  And  were  they,  it 
was  as  hopeless  a  task  to  attempt  to  trace  them 
as  had  they  fallen  off  the  earth  and  disappeared 
in  space.  Fully  impressed  with  these  facts,  this 
camp  became  the  point  of  a  new  departure  south- 
erly. _^_ 

For  days  and  weeks  the  way  was  fought 
across  the  rough  precipitous  drainage,  through 
brush  and  fallen  timber,  stopping  on  each  stream 
crossed  and  digging  holes  in  its  bars  and  banks, 
the  dirt  was  panned  so  far  up  toward  its  head  as 
possible  and  so  far  down  stream  as  safety  war- 
ranted. Venturing  down  a  drain  one  day  to 
find  greater  freedom  from  the  fallen  timber,  a 
game  trail  was  leisurely  followed  along  the  bank 
of  a  little  rivulet  bordered  with  huge  bunches  of 
willows,  Evans  as  usual  leading  the  way,  when 
of  a  sudden  his  horse  wheeled  about,  and  rushing 
amongst  the  packs  a  stampede  followed.  The 
slopes  on  either  side  of  the  little  stream  were  a 
mass  of  fallen  timber  through  which  they  could 
make  no  headway,  and  into  which  they  would 
not  venture.  Their  only  course  lay  up  the 
stream.  In  a  hundred  yards  or  so  they  were 
checked,  when  Evans  riding  up  explained  that 
just  as  his  horse  wheeled  he  caught  sight  of  an 
animal  of  a  brownish  or  reddish  color,  which 
passed  into  the  thicket  and  out  of  view.  His  im- 
pression was  that  it  was  a  deer,  but  the  fright  of 
the  horses  inclined  him  to  the  belief  that  it  must 
have  been  a  mountain  lion. 


110  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Evans  was  armed  with  an  old  style  forty-five 
calibre  cap  and  ball  Colt's  six-shooter,  a  very 
accurate  and  formidable  weapon,  though  an- 
tique. He  also  carried  an  equally  old-style  thir- 
ty-two calibre  rim-fire  rifle.  The  writer's  arms 
consisted  of  a  double-barreled  shot-gam,  and  a 
then  up-to-date  Smith  &  Wesson  forty-five  cal- 
ibre six-shooter  of  Russian  model. 

In  the  council  which  followed,  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  using  both  six-shooters  and  the  rifle, 
the  writer  should  undertake  to  explore  the  am- 
bush. And  now  loaded  down  with  guns,  the 
creek  was  crossed  to  a  point  near  the  animal's 
hiding,  where  a  huge  boulder  rose  to  a  height  of 
some  five  or  six  feet  above  the  surrounding  net- 
work of  fallen  timber. 

Scarcely  had  a  position  been  secured  upon 
the  summit  of  the  boulder  when  a  huge  and  mag- 
nificent specimen  of  the  mountain  lion  sprang 
from  the  thicket  to  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  less 
than  one  hundred  feet  distant,  and  coolly  march- 
ing out  to  about  midway  its  length,  with  broad- 
side presented,  halted  and  deliberately  eyeing 
the  trembling  figure  perched  upon  the  rock, 
licked  his  jaws,  while  his  tail  swirled  and  curved 
in  graceful  indication  of  apathy  and  defiance. 
With  haste  and  excitement  the  rifle  was  first  dis- 
charged at  the  majestic  target,  which  with  an 
angry  cry  and  gnashing  teeth  whirled  and 
sprang  toward  his  enemy  across  the  network  of 
fallen  timber,  while  from  the  distance,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  animal's  capability  of  prodig- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  Ill 

ious  leaps,  it  required  but  a  brief  calculation  to 
determine  that  there  was  not  long  to  wait.  Drop- 
ping the  rifle  and  grasping  a  six-shooter  from  the 
right  hip,  it  was  jerked  from  the  holster  with 
such  violence  as  to  slip  from  the  grasp  and  be 
thrown  far  over  the  shoulder.  At  the  same 
time,  losing  foothold,  I  slipped  feet  first  down 
the  face  of  the  rock  fronting  the  advancing  lion, 
and  became  tightly  wedged  between  the  rock  and 
the  trunk  of  a  large  fallen  tree,  which  raised 
some  distance  from  the  ground,  its  upper  surface 
reached  to  a  level  with  the  arm  pits.  Now  han- 
dicapped beyond  any  degree  figured  upon,  in 
the  loss  of  one  gun,  and  being  solidly  fenced  in 
from  escape,  it  looked  like  a  matter  for  serious 
controversy,  with  some  considerable  odds  in  fa- 
vor of  the  lion.  Quickly  snatching  the  remain- 
ing six-shooter,  the  old  cap  and  ball  Colts,  an  ob- 
ject of  heretofore  frequent  ridicule,  a  rapid  fire 
commenced  at  the  bounding,  snarling  monster; 
one,  two,  three,  four,  five  shots,  and  his  hot 
breath  was  plainly  felt.  His  forepaws  had 
struck  the  log  that  pressed  against  my  breast, 
and  simultaneously  a  seeming  third  paw  struck 
me  near  the  shoulder,  tearing  the  sleeve  of  my 
coat  to  shreds  at  the  first  blow.  Artillery  prac- 
tice was  now  over  and  the  combat  resolved  itself 
into  a  single-round  boxing  match  to  a  finish,  in 
which  the  lion  wore  no  gloves.  Mercilessly  I 
was  slammed  and  bumped  against  the  rock  at 
my  back  as  I  fought  wildly  to  protect  my  head 
in  parrying  the  vicious  swipes  he  made  with 


112  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

first  one  and  then  the  other  of  his  great 
paws.  Taking  heart,  I  fought  desperately,  for 
notwithstanding  the  intense  excitement,  and  the 
extremely  active  employment,  it  was  plain  that 
he  was  now  not  a  real  live  lion.  His  blows 
came  less  frequently  and  the  steam  pressure 
seemed  to  be  lessening.  Finally  they  ceased 
altogether,  when,  changing  his  tactics,  and  cling- 
ing to  the  log  with  both  forepaws,  he  reached 
forward  with  extended  jaws.  Then  ramming 
the  old  six-shooter,  which  had  been  tenaciously 
clung  to  through  all  the  unpleasantness,  into  his 
open  mouth,  the  one  remaining  shot  was  fired. 
Gradually  he  sank  backward,  while  his  receding 
claws  cut  deep  furrows  in  the  trunk  of  the  fallen 
tree,  until  at  last,  letting  go  all  hold,  he  lay 
prone  upon  the  ground  for  an  instant,  then  par- 
tially recovering,  reared  himself  upon  his 
haunches  and  turning  a  face  filled  with  hatred 
full  upon  the  foe,  gasped,  then  snarling  feebly, 
gasped  again,  and  fell  backward  upon  the 
ground  dead. 

In  length  the  exact  measurement  was  eight 
feet  eleven  inches  from  point  of  nose  to  point  of 
tail,  as  he  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground.  A 
very  rare  specimen,  from  the  fact  that  they  in- 
variably measure  nine  feet  or  over  in  the  ac- 
counts that  are  given  of  them. 

But  three  shots  out  of  the  seven  had  taken 
effect.  The  rifle  shot  had  struck  him  in  the 
loin  and  passed  close  to  the  vertebrae.  This  ac- 
counted, most  probably,  for  the  writer's  privilege 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  113 

to  recite  the  circumstance,  as  this  fortunate  shot 
destroyed  largely  his  ability  to  employ  those 
monstrous  leaps  referred  to.  Fortunately  a  sec- 
ond shot  had  struck  him  en  route,  hence  his  ar- 
rival in  a  still  more  weakened  and  crippled  con- 
dition. 

The  mountain  lion  of  Colorado  and  else- 
where, notwithstanding  this  and  other  accounts 
of  its  ferocity,  is  by  nature  a  most  cowardly 
brute,  and  cannot  be  induced  to  fight  unless  cor- 
nered or  wounded,  or  attack  anything,  either 
animal  or  human,  in  the  open,  where  there  is  the 
slightest  chance  of  getting  the  worst  of  it. 

Bruised,  and  bleeding  from  several  cuts, 
with  coat  torn  to  fragments,  and  one  shirt  sleeve 
hanging  in  streamers,  a  return  was  made  to  the 
pack  train,  not  with  the  proud  tread  of  a  con- 
quering hero,  but  the  faltering,  straggling,  de- 
moralized gait  of  a  deplorable  wreck  prospecting 
for  a  hospital.  The  horses  gazed  intently  at  the 
approach,  snorted,  looked  at  each  other  and 
seemed  to  smile,  as  did  the  writer,  when  at  last 
the  vision  of  the  historic  parrot  rose  before  him 
ludicrous,  yet  with  fellow  feeling. 

The  following  morning  the  journey  was  re- 
sumed, with  its  attendant  trials.  Day  after  day 
was  spent  in  wandering  up  and  down  the  drain- 
age and  fighting  a  way  over  the  divides,  through 
thickets  and  fallen  timber. 

Evans  had  sometime  previously  related, 
amongst  other  experiences  of  his  trip  years  be- 


114  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

fore  in  coming  from  Utah,  that  of  having  lost  a 
double-barrel  shot-gun  in  attempting  to  force 
their  way  over  the  range  by  following  out  at  the 
head  of  a  drain  or  stream,  and  how,  getting  into 
a  precipitous  canon  filled  with  young  quaking 
aspens,  they  had  cut  a  road  for  the  pack  animals, 
until  discouraged  and  hemmed  in  by  impassable 
ground,  they  abandoned  further  attempt  and  re- 
treated, he  leaving  behind  this  shot-gun. 

It  was  but  a  few  days  subsequent  to  the  af- 
fair with  the  mountain  lion  that  in  working  our 
way  on  foot  up  a  small  creek,  prospecting  the 
bed  and  banks,  he  suddenly  remarked,  "Do  you 
know,  this  looks  to  me  much  like  the  gulch  where 
I  lost  the  gun."  But  a  few  steps  further  and  a 
thicket  of  aspens  was  encountered,  with  the 
stumps  of  many  which  had  been  cut  with  an  ax, 
and  not  by  beavers  as  had  frequently  been  found. 
After  cutting  they  had  been  pitched  down  the 
bank  and  their  butts  sticking  in  the  soft,  moist 
earth,  they  had  continued  their  growth.  Doz- 
ens were  found  in  this  condition  with  their 
tops  in  full  leaf.  Trailing  along  over  the  rocks 
and  through  the  thicket,  with  Evans  ahead,  there 
suddenly  came  from  him  an  exclamation  of  joy 
and  surprise,  when  approaching,  there  he  stood, 
a  veritable  Kip  Van  Winkle  (minus  the  gray 
hair  and  beard)  with  the  rusty  barrels  of  the  lost 
gun  in  his  hands,  while  at  his  feet  lay  the  weath- 
er-beaten and  decomposed  stock.  Whatever  faint 
impressions  may  have  been  previously  borne, 
during  hardship  and  apparently  aimless  wander- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  115 

ings,  that  the  man  was  romancing  to  some  extent 
regarding  the  whole  affair,  were  now  fully  dis- 
pelled, and  the  firmest  belief  filled  the  mind  that 
rich  diggings  would  follow  next. 

For  days  these  wanderings  continued,  camp- 
ing in  each  gulch,  and  upon  each  stream  to 
search  not  only  for  placers,  but  to  prospect  the 
mountain  sides  for  lodes  that  carried  either  gold 
or  silver.  Late  one  afternoon  the  bank  of  a 
large,  rapid  and  turbulent  stream  was  reached, 
already  swollen  by  the  melting  snows,  and  now 
subject  to  a  further  rise  from  a  heavy  rainstorm 
which  threatened  to  precipitate  itself  at  any  mo- 
ment. On  the  side  approached  was  a  narrow 
flat,  from  which  rose  the  mountain  side  covered 
with  burned  and  fallen  timber,  from  the  oppo- 
site bank  rose  a  hillside,  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  live  pine  and  spruce.  The  river  be- 
ing already  a  difficult  ford,  and  the  threatened 
storm  which  now  began  to  descend,  being  sure  to 
create  a  further  rise  which  would  render  fording 
impossible  perhaps  for  a  day  or  more,  it  was  de- 
termined to  cross  at  once.  In  the  attempt,  the 
heaviest  laden  of  the  pack  animals  lost  his  foot- 
ing, was  hurled  to  death  against  a  huge  rock  in 
midstream  when  the  cinch  breaking,  the  animal 
was  swept  rapidly  away,  while  the  released  and 
disordered  pack  scattered  upon  the  breast  of  the 
turbulent  stream,  dancing  merrily  away  in  the 
wake  of  the  dead  horse.  The  balance  of  the  ani- 
mals stemming  the  current,  climbed  the  opposite 
bank  and  shaking  the  water  from  themselves, 


116  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

cast  lingering  glances  at  the  body  of  their  dead 
companion,  now  fast  disappearing  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

The  rain  was  now  falling  in  torrents,  it  be- 
ing one  of  those  violent  precipitations  peculiar 
to  the  western  slope  of  the  main  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Tying  the  stock,  shelter  was 
hurriedly  sought,  when  suddenly  there  was 
heard  a  splash  in  the  stream,  for  one  of  the  pack 
animals  (a  mate  of  that  drowned)  had  broken 
loose  and  was  crossing  to  the  opposite  shore. 
Jumping  upon  one  of  the  remaining  horses,  the 
writer  quickly  followed,  and,  after  a  long  chase, 
caught  the  fugitive  by  running  it  into  the  fallen 
timber.  Returning  to  the  bank  of  the  stream, 
the  water  had  now  risen  to  a  point  wherein  any 
attempt  to  again  cross  was  exceedingly  danger- 
ous; and  tying  up  the  two  animals,  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  devote  oneself  to  the  unpleas- 
antness of  the  situation.  Soon  the  storm  be- 
came less  violent  and  resolved  itself  into  a  steady 
downpour.  Evans  in  the  meantime  had  un- 
packed, and  getting  out  the  wagon  sheet,  had 
thrown  it  over  the  lower  limb  of  a  tree,  under- 
neath which  with  the  packs  he  found  protection. 
Our  apparent  predicament  was  now  further  aug- 
mented from  the  fact  that  the  pack  of  the 
drowned  animal  had  contained  all  our  ammuni- 
tion, and  nearly  the  whole  of  our  provision.  We 
had  eaten  nothing  since  morning.  Evans  had 
what  little  remaining  food  there  was  with  him 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  117 

on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  storm 
was  still  so  severe  and  everything  so  drenched 
and  soaked  with  water,  that  building  a  fire 
whereby  to  cook  was  entirely  out  of  the  question. 
There  were,  however,  a  few  fragments  of  bacon 
and  baking  powder  biscuits  left  from  the  morn- 
ing meal.  These  Evans  secured  and  divided, 
conveying  to  the  writer  his  portion  by  tying 
small  quantities  to  a  stone  and  throwing  it  across 
the  river.  Thus  he  obtained  a  scanty  supper 
and  retired  for  the  night — retired  to  the  shelter 
of  a  spruce  tree,  and  hugged  its  trunk  as  closely 
as  possible. 

The  storm  had  now  subsided  into  a  gentle, 
steady  rain,  and  seemed  to  have  selected  its  pace 
for  the  night.  All  the  night  long  it  continued, 
and  all  the  night  long  a  hungry,  drenched,  and 
bedraggled  prospector  stood  there  or  wandered 
about  in  search  of  another  tree,  which  when 
found,  proved  to  furnish  even  less  protection 
than  the  one  abandoned. 

Morning  came  at  last  and  the  storm  cleared. 
After  many  attempts,  Evans  finally  succeeded 
in  starting  a  fire.  A  sack  of  beans  and  a  sack  of 
rice  were  the  only  two  articles  of  food  that  re- 
mained to  be  cooked.  He  boiled  some  of  each. 
The  beans  required  much  time  at  this  elevation, 
and  it  was  noon  ere  the  repast  was  ready.  The 
stream  had  not  yet  fallen  to  a  point  wherein 
crossing  was  other  than  hazardous,  and  beans 
and  rice  were  inconvenient  articles  to  be  thrown 
across  a  river.  Finally  he  solved  the  problem. 


118  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Emptying  a  sack  of  Durham  tobacco,  he  filled 
the  sack  with  beans,  tied  a  stone  thereto,  and 
landed  it  safely  within  reach.  Picking  it  up 
and  emptying  the  sack,  the  stone  was  replaced 
and  the  sack  returned,  when  by  the  same  method 
he  served  a  course  of  rice.  Such  were  the  occa- 
sional disarrangements  of  a  prospector  s  house- 
keeping in  this  country  and  in  those  days. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  balance  of  the  day  was  spent  in  drying 
clothes  and  blankets,  inventorying  remaining 
supplies,  searching  the  river  banks  for  a  great 
distance  below,  in  the  hope  to  recover  some  por- 
tion of  the  lost  pack,  and  in  a  final  discussion  of 
our  condition  and  devising  the  best  method  of 
relief.  One  thing  was  certain,  the  loss  was  so 
great  that  any  attempt  at  proceeding  further 
upon  the  summer's  campaign  was  quite  out  of 
the  question.  A  new  stock  of  supplies  must  be 
had,  and  to  obtain  which  from  the  nearest  pos- 
sible point  involved  a  long,  weary  journey  in  re- 
tracing the  route ;  to  shorten  which  it  was  agreed 
that  the  attempt  should  be  made  to  force  our 
way  directly  over  the  range.  Acting  upon  this 
decision,  we  packed  our  remaining  stock  and  the 
following  morning  started  up  the  very  stream 
upon  which  we  were  camped.  A  long,  tiresome 
trail  upon  the  headwaters  of  one  of  its  tribu- 
taries, demonstrated  it  impassable  for  the  ani- 
mals, and  working  south  into  the  succeeding 
drain,  we  battled  with  it.  Reaching  a  point  far 
up  toward  its  head  and  high  above  timber  line, 
conditions  appeared  favorable ;  the  worst  seemed 
overcome,  and  the  apparent  summit  near.  The 
only  obstacle  to  success  as  it  appeared  was  the 
possibility  of  being  unable  to  make  the  descent 


120  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

upon  the  opposite  side.  Suddenly  a  point  was 
reached  in  which  to  ascend  further  it  became 
necessary  to  round  the  head  of  a  canon,  whose 
walls  were  a  mass  of  almost  precipitous  rocks. 
To  accomplish  this  a  crossing  must  be  made  over 
the  face  of  a  great  slide  or  talus  heap  of  finely 
comminuted  shale,  the  toe  of  which  reached  the 
brink  of  the  precipice.  The  mass  was  standing 
at  so  great  an  angle  that  the  slightest  disturb- 
ance caused  it  to  resume  its  downward  course. 

After  carefully  treading  a  shoulder  over  the 
creeping  mass,  the  pack  animals  were  conducted 
across  in  safety,  and  returning,  a  start  was  made 
with  the  saddle  animals,  Evans  in  the  lead; 
when  near  the  middle  of  the  great  slide,  Evans' 
horse  feeling  the  mass  beneath  his  feet  creep  or 
move  quietly  downward,  became  terror-stricken, 
and  whirling  suddenly  about  upon  the  steep 
slope  in  the  attempt  to  retrace  his  steps,  fell 
backward  and  rolling  with  frightful  rapidity 
down  the  smooth  incline,  shot  over  its  brink  and 
disappeared  from  view.  Evans  folded  his  hands 
in  resignation,  and  inquired,  "Reckon  it's  worth 
while  going  after  the  saddle  ?" 

Passing  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  great 
talus  heap,  and  leaving  the  stock  in  a  safe  posi- 
tion, then  climbing  downward  over  its  edge,  and 
around  the  rocky  point,  there  fifty  feet  or  more 
below,  upon  a  bench  or  shelf  from  which  the 
walls  again  fell  precipitously,  stood  the  animal 
with  head  erect  and  gazing  unconcernedly  and 
interestedly  at  the  panorama  spread  before  him 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  121 

far  below.  Reaching  the  shelf  upon  which  he 
stood,  he  was  found  a  mass  of  horrible  cuts  from 
which  the  blood  trickled  in  little  streams,  yet  not 
a  leg  broken,  and  the  task  was  undertaken  of 
constructing  a  trail  whereby  to  recover  him. 
The  day  was  spent  in  toil,  and  darkness  hung 
gloomily  over  the  scene  when  finally  the  work 
was  complete  and  the  animal  recovered.  ~No 
further  progress  being  possible,  a  dry  camp  was 
made,  and  clinging  to  the  steep  face  of  the  moun- 
tain until  morning,  the  struggle  upward  was  re- 
sumed with  the  now  weakened  horse,  when  late 
in  the  day  absolute  barriers  to  further  progress 
being  met  with,  a  weary  and  baffled  outfit  de- 
jectedly picked  its  way  downward  to  timber  line 
and  into  camp. 

Another  day  dawned,  and  another  trial  be- 
gan; day  after  day  was  spent  in  battling  back 
and  forth  along  the  face  of  the  impassable  and 
forbidding  range,  seeking  some  escape.  Day  by 
day  conditions  changed  for  the  worse  as  the 
scanty  stock  of  beans  and  rice  diminished,  and 
finally  disappeared  altogether.  The  few  car- 
tridges remaining  had  been  wasted  on  deer, 
which  invariably  had  escaped.  For  days  "Killi- 
kinick"  and  other  wild  berries  had  furnished 
the  only  means  of  subsistence.  Fish  were  plen- 
tiful in  all  the  streams,  but  the  fishing  tackle  had 
accompanied  the  drowned  pack  animal. 

And  now  an  old  grouse  hen  appeared  with 
her  brood  of  young,  who  quickly  concealed  them- 


122  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

selves  beneath  the  leaves  and  in  the  brush,  while 
the  mother  in  a  heroic  yet  fatal  attempt  at  their 
defense  bristled  and  faced  in  battle  array.  Cruel 
and  cowardly  as  the  act  may  seem,  she  was  slain. 
Hunger  had  pressed  its  wants  so  severely  that 
sentiment  and  feeling  were  compelled  to  yield. 
It  became  a  question  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest, 
and  the  difference  of  opinion  as  to  this,  existing 
between  the  old  hen  and  her  antagonists,  was,  as 
in  most  cases  heretofore,  settled  in  their  favor 
simply  through  the  superior  physical  force  which 
they  possessed.  Had  it  been  a  good  healthy 
bear,  the  decision  would  probably  have  gone  to 
the  bear. 

From  the  summit  of  a  divide,  and  several 
miles  distant  and  far  below  there  appeared  the 
following  day  the  head  of  an  open  valley  where 
several  drains  seemed  to  unite.  With  little  re- 
gard for  Indians,  through  a  now  half-starved 
condition,  a  course  was  shaped  toward  it,  with 
the  hope  to  find  some  trace  of  an  Indian  trail 
which  would  lead  over  the  range. 

Entering  the  border  of  the  valley  at  dark,  it 
seemed  a  great  amphitheatre  from  which  numer- 
ous important  drains  led  into  the  mountains.  It 
was  no  other  than  the  site  later  occupied  by  the 
great  mining  camp  of  Aspen. 

The  morning  following  this  arrival,  each 
started  out  in  exploration  of  the  borders  of  the 
open  country  for  some  evidence  of  an  outlet. 
Familiar  with  the  customs  of  the  Indians  in  scat- 
tering their  footprints  in  the  open  country,  such 


BEMIITISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  123 

as  parks  and  valleys,  and  congregating  again 
upon  more  impassable  and  unfrequented  ground 
(especially  when  entering  a  mountain  pass),  the 
day  was  spent  in  circling  about  well  up  in  the 
timber  on  the  mountain  sides,  with  no  result. 
And  now  enroute  toward  a  supperless  camp,  a 
cotton-tail  rabbit  sprang  from  beneath  the  horse's 
feet  and  sought  safety  in  a  nearby  rock  pile; 
digging  it  out,  another  feast  was  engaged  in. 
Early  in  the  forenoon  of  the  following  day's 
search,  there  suddenly  presented  itself  a  large, 
well-defined  Indian  trail.  One  could  never  for- 
get the  impression  its  sudden  appearance  made 
after  all  these  weary  weeks  of  toiling  over  rocks 
and  fallen  timber,  through  impenetrable  thick- 
ets, and  much  of  the  time  crazed  with  hunger. 
Broadway,  New  York,  with  its  array  of  tower- 
ing edifices,  its  throng  of  vehicles  and  beings,  had 
never  appeared  as  quit©  so  easy  and  modern  a 
thoroughfare  as  this,  or  had  the  choice  viands 
which  filled  the  windows  of  its  cafes  ever  ap- 
pealed to  the  sense  of  taste  as  half  so  delicious 
and  appetizing  as  did  the  cotton  tail  and  grouse. 

Gathering  up  the  outfit,  and  following  the 
newly  discovered  trail,  rapid  ascent  was  made 
along  the  mountain  side,  and  upward  through 
the  dense  timber  toward  the  summit  of  the  range. 
The  relaxation  from  the  incessant  and  severe 
physical  and  mental  strain  which  had  so  long 
preceded,  filled  both  man  and  beast  with  a  hope 
and  buoyancy  of  spirit,  restful  and  inspiring  to 


124  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

a  degree,  in  which  one  seemed  to  fairly  float  up- 
ward and  onward,  out  of,  and  beyond  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  past  with  its  maze  of  intricacies  and 
entanglements.  Gradually,  through  the  agree- 
able monotony  arising  from  an  easy  and  unin- 
terrupted passage,  the  first  enthusiasm  died 
away  into  the  dreamy  repose  of  sudden  relief, 
when  of  a  sudden  the  even  tenor  of  the  way  was 
disturbed  by  Evans  suddenly  wheeling  his  horse 
crosswise  of  the  trail,  wrhile,  as  with  one  hand  he 
quickly  drew  his  six-shooter,  with  the  other  he 
frantically  motioned  the  writer  forward. 

Rushing  past  the  pack  animals,  and  shoving 
them  from  the  trail  and  down  the  mountain  side, 
his  side  was  scarcely  reached,  when,  some  dis- 
tance up  the  mountain  and  along  the  line  of  the 
trail,  there  was  to  be  seen  through  the  timber 
numerous  forms  clad  in  bright  colored  blankets 
as  they  dodged  hither  and  thither  in  their  de- 
scent. Quickly  they  came  into  full  view,  when 
with  guns  drawn,  Evans  motioned  them  to  halt. 

For  a  brief  time  each  side  remained  awk- 
wardly awaiting  some  advance  on  the  part  of  the 
other,  when  finally  a  venerable  looking  old  In- 
dian, dressed  in  a  battered  plug  hat  and  an  old 
vest,  with  a  blanket  gathered  about  his  waist, 
and  a  new  Winchester  rifle  slung  to  the  horn  of 
his  saddle,  rode  out  a  short  distance  in  advance 
of  the  band,  and  halting  beckoned  us  toward 
him.  Meeting  about  midway  of  the  trail,  he 
dropped  his  bridle  reins  upon  the  horn  of  the 
saddle,  and  sitting  majestically  astride  his  horse, 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  125 

there  in  the  shadows  of  the  deep  forest,  delved 
deeply  into  an  inner  pocket  of  the  tattered  vest  he 
wore,  and  fished  therefrom  a  well-worn  envelope 
containing  a  letter,  which  he  handed  to  Evans, 
who  read  it  carefully  and  looking  serious  and 
dissatisfied  at  the  old  Indian,  passed  it  to  the 
writer.  It  appeared  to  be  a  permit  from  the 
Indian  agent  at  Colorado  Springs  for  this  band 
of  Indians  to  leave  the  reservation  on  a  trading 
expedition,  to  visit  Pueblo,  Colorado  Springs 
and  Denver,  good  until  a  given  date,  which  was 
now  several  weeks  past.  Evans  was  now  gestic- 
ulating, frowning  and  muttering  his  displeasure 
at  a  rapid  rate  and  in  a  most  positive  and  force- 
ful manner,  with  the  old  Indian  watching  cau- 
tiously for  an  opening,  into  which  he  vainly  at- 
tempted to  interpolate  some  explanation  and  ex- 
cuse. Evans  had  embraced  the  opportunity, 
and  assuming  the  role  of  an  agent  of  the  Indian 
Department,  was  concealing  quite  successfully 
his  true  position  of  an  insignificant,  trespassing 
prospector,  and  was  now  extremely  busy  imper- 
sonating one  in  authority  under  the  great  gov- 
ernment, who  had  caught  them  red-handed  in  the 
commitment  of  an  offense  which  they  readily  un- 
derstood, and  which  he  employed  every  method 
of  explanation  to  magnify  into  the  most  mon- 
strous proportions,  while  steadfastly  withhold- 
ing from  the  importuning  old  chief  the  forgive- 
ness which  he  sought.  Meantime,  the  pack  ani- 
mals left  behind,  being  no  longer  urged  forward, 
fed  slowly  along  the  trail,  until  finally  they 


126  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

joined  the  trio  of  horsemen  in  council,  who 
were  too  fully  engaged  to  note  their  appearance 
until  a  pow  wow  raised  by  the  balance  of  the 
band,  as  they  pressed  forward  and  about  laugh- 
ing, pointing  and  making  evidently  facetious  re- 
marks, attracted  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  ap- 
proach of  the  packs  with  shovels,  picks  and  gold 
pans  lashed  thereto  in  plain  sight  was  the  cause. 
The  mask  had  fallen,  and  through  the  mute  evi- 
dence which  had  wandered  into  the  council 
chamber  there  was  no  further  support  of  the 
false  position  heretofore  assumed. 

The  cloud  of  perplexity  which  had  overhung 
the  face  of  the  old  Indian  now  gave  way  to  a 
complacent  smile,  that  deepened  rapidly  into  an 
exultant  grin ;  while  the  whole  band,  numbering 
some  25  or  30,  surrounded  the  pack  animals,  and 
while  a  portion  of  the  band  stripped  the  packs 
in  the  search  for  sugar,  coffee  and  tobacco,  the 
balance  danced  about  derisively  and  drummed 
an  accompaniment  on  the  gold  pans.  Finding 
little  of  which  they  were  in  search,  they  cut  the 
superfluous  straps  from  the  pack  saddle  cinches, 
and  mounting  their  horses,  rode  on  down  the 
trail  and  disappeared  in  the  forest  below. 

Hunger  had  now  produced  a  condition  bor- 
dering insanity,  and  the  agreement  was  fully 
reached  to  kill  one  of  the  horses  that  night  for 
food. 

It  was  near  nightfall  when  reaching  the  sum- 
mit of  the  range  there  could  be  seen  below  and 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  127" 

stretching  far  away  to  the  south,  a  great  open 
country,  comparatively  level,  and  bordered  upon 
the  east  by  another  lofty  range  of  mountain. 
Camp  was  established  for  the  night  here  upon 
the  summit,  and  in  view  of  possibilities  which 
might  exist,  the  slaughter  of  the  horse  was  post- 
poned until  noon  of  the  following  day,  for  in 
this  great  open  country  below  it  was  felt  there 
might  be  found  some  trace  of  a  white  man. 

Daylight  found  the  little  outfit  again  un- 
der way,  and  soon  the  head  of  a  stream  was 
reached,  down  which  it  wended  its  way  to  the 
level  country  below.  It  was  near  noon,  and  sick 
and  tired,  camp  was  about  to  be  made,  when 
passing  around  a  projecting  point,  there  to  the 
right,  at  the  head  of  a  little  stretch  of  bottom 
land,  stood  grazing  a  horse  and  mule. 

Evans  at  once  exclaimed,  "See  that  mule! 
Injuns  don't  use  mules,  hardly  ever.  There's 
white  men  here  somewhere."  Scanning  the  sur- 
roundings eagerly,  there  was  discovered  for  an 
instant  what  appeared  to  be  a  light  thin  column 
of  smoke  ascending  from  behind  a  second  pro- 
jecting point  a  short  distance  ahead.  Anxiously 
its  recurrence  was  awaited.  Soon  it  appeared 
again,  there  was  no  mistaking  it  this  time,  and 
striking  the  horses  a  sudden  blow,  they  bounded 
forward.  Rounding  the  point,  what  a  joyous 
sight  presented  itself.  There  beneath  the  shade 
of  a  wide  spreading  pinion  tree  reclined  two 
white  men,  who  sprang  to  their  feet  and  grabbed 
their  guns  as  they  were  dashed  suddenly  upon 


128  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

from  behind  the  point.  Before  them  smoul- 
dered a  camp  fire,  and  beside  it  lay  a  fry  pan  in 
which  rested  the  fragment  of  a  "flap  jack/'  or 
pancake. 

Bringing  the  horses  to  a  sudden  halt,  un- 
mindful of  the  two  men  about  the  camp  fire,  and 
without  indulging  in  the  slightest  ceremony, 
each  sprang  from  the  saddle  and  snatching  the 
food  from  the  pan  devoured  it  ravenously.  It 
was  unleavened,  simply  flour  and  water  mixed, 
for  as  the  conversation  which  immediately  fol- 
lowed explained,  they  too  were  practically  out  of 
provisions  save  flour. 

They  proved  to  be  two  prospectors  from 
Fairplay  in  South  Park,  and  were  about  to  start 
on  the  following  day  for  Malta  in  the  Arkansas 
Valley,  at  the  mouth  of  California  Gulch — the 
nearest  point  at  which  supplies  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles  distant, 
with  a  mountain  range  intervening.  During 
the  evening  it  was  arranged  that  we  should 
jointly  prospect  the  section  in  which  we  were, 
together  with  that  about  Crested  Butte  and 
Washington  Gulch,  twenty-five  miles  farther  to 
the  west;  and  that  the  writer  should,  upon  the 
following  morning  start  upon  the  trip  for  a  joint 
stock  of  supplies,  taking  a  saddle  horse  and  two 
pack  animals.  Malta  was  the  point  to  which 
additional  funds  were  to  be  forwarded,  so  where- 
in the  strangers  had  money,  it  was  regarded  as 
useless  to  pack  it  on  the  trip,  but  to  arrange  the 
matter  of  their  share  upon  the  return. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  129 

Early  in  the  morning  and  from  the  camp 
there  was  pointed  out  across  the  park,  and  far 
away  to  the  southeast,  a  pass  in  the  range  where 
crossing  could  be  made  to  the  valley  of  the  Ar- 
kansas. It  was  called  the  "Red  Mountain  Pass," 
and  terminated  on  the  valley  side  at  the  "Twin 
Lakes." 

Directions  were  further  given  to  follow  down 
the  Taylor  River  (for  the  great  open  country 
which  we  had  entered  proved  to  be  Taylor 
Park),  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  miles, 
where  would  be  found  an  Indian  trail  crossing, 
then  taking  this  trail  easterly  it  would  lead  into 
and  over  the  pass.  Finding  the  trail,  camp  was 
made  for  noon  at  timber  line  on  the  Western 
Slope.  Picketing  the  stock,  and  crawling  into 
a  bunch  of  small  quaking  aspens  by  the  side  of 
the  trail,  lunch  was  commenced  upon  a  supply 
of  the  unleavened  flap  jacks.  It  was  scarce 
begun,  however,  when  there  was  heard  the  patter 
of  a  horse's  hoofs  upon  the  trail  above,  and  peer- 
ing out,  an  Indian  rode  up  and  grunted  "How." 
Then  spying  one  of  the  flap  jacks  lying  upon 
the  ground,  dismounted  and  began  to  devour  it 
with  as  little  ceremony  as  the  writer  had  done 
the  day  previous.  Together  the  food  was  quickly 
devoured,  each  possessed  of  a  silent  unexpressed 
determination  to  get  his  share.  The  meal  ended, 
the  Indian  sat  silently  for  a  few  minutes,  then 
said,  "White  man  damn  thief!"  Full  agree- 
ment being  promptly  extended,  he  continued, 
"Injun  damn  thief,  too."  Again  his  views  were 


130  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

adopted,  but  not  so  heartily,  hoping  to  curry 
favor  through  an  apparent  excess  of  confidence 
in  favor  of  the  Indian.  Then  he  explained  that 
Indians  had  stolen  horses  from  the  whites,  and 
that  they  in  retaliation  had,  amongst  others,  sto- 
len his  horses.  Then  he  relapsed  again  into 
sullen  silence,  while  the  writer  employed  the  in- 
terval in  championing  the  cause  of  the  Indian, 
and  in  general  condemnation  of  the  white  race. 
Finally  he  remarked,  "Me  heap  big  Injun." 
Haste  was  made  in  conveying  to  him  full  assur- 
ance of  having  already  beecome  convinced  be- 
yond doubt  of  the  fact  from  his  general  appear- 
ance and  otherwise.  After  which  he  remarked, 
"Me  Washington."  I  bowed,  extended  my  hand 
and  greeted  him  cordially,  yet  deferentially; 
still,  with  all  the  sweet,  persuasive  and  carefully 
studied  blandishments  of  speech  bestowed  upon 
him,  success  was  in  no  degree  apparent  in  the 
creation  of  a  single  rift  in  the  dark,  dense 
mantle  of  sullen  gloom  that  hung  about  his  face 
and  persistently  shadowed  the  whole  proceeding. 
It  had  been  presumed  from  the  first  that  he 
was  attended  by  other  Indians  who  were  ex- 
pected to  ride  up  at  any  moment,  and  redress 
their  wrongs  through  an  appropriation  of  the 
writer's  animals  at  least.  We  were  alone  to- 
gether upon  a  lonely  trail;  in  case  of  trouble, 
wherein  the  Indians  would  unquestionably  get 
the  best  of  it,  days  would  pass  before  the  writer 
would  be  even  thought  of  as  not  returning,  and 
little  evidence  need  ever  be  gained  concerning 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  131 

his  disappearance.  Other  Indians  not  appear- 
ing, and  having  tarried  a  sufficient  time  to  avoid 
any  indication  of  undue  haste,  excuses  were  pre- 
sented for  a  departure.  Each  of  us  was  heav- 
ily armed,  and  each  bestowed  upon  the  other  the 
utmost  watchfulness.  The  horses  were  but  a 
few  rods  distant,  and  a  peculiar  manuvering 
was  required  in  reaching  them,  and  meanwhile 
face  the  Indian,  who  remained  seated  upon  the 
ground. 

And  now  having  secured  them,  the  riding 
away  became  a  serious  problem,  for  of  necessity 
the  back  must  be  turned  toward  him.  Every 
thing  in  readiness,  the  two  pack  animals  were 
edged  over  to  the  trail,  each  kicked  and  cuffed 
plentifully,  and  as  they  bounded  away,  hit  with 
a  stone.  Then  leaping  upon  the  saddle  animal 
with  face  toward  his  tail,  he  quickly  followed 
them.  Instantly  a  broad  grin  overspread  the 
Indian's  face,  and  lighted  up  the  departure,  as 
cover  was  hurriedly  sought  in  a  bunch  of  quak- 
ing aspens  far  up  the  trail. 

Over  the  summit  and  down  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  Saguache  Range  we  tore  at  a  breakneck 
pace,  along  the  shores  of  the  Twin  Lakes  and  up 
the  Arkansas  River,  where  a  late  camp  was  made 
upon  the  banks,  well  out  of  reach  of  other  prowl- 
ing Utes. 

The  sun  had  climbed  to  the  summit  of  the 
Park  Range  to  the  east,  and  was  pouring  its 
bright  light  upon  the  clear  dashing  waters  of  the 


132  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Arkansas,  as  they  swirled  onward  past  the  camp, 
gurgling  and  rippling  and  murmuring  the  same 
tones  that  had  induced  a  slumber  from  which 
until  now  there  had  been  no  awakening.  A 
hasty  breakfast  of  the  unleavened  flap  jacks,  and 
then  came  further  delay  in  the  impatient  dash 
farther  up  the  river  to  California  Gulch,  where 
a  long  deferred  repast  was  possible  to  be  had. 
The  trousers  worn,  had  after  weeks  of  toiling 
through  fallen  timber  and  underbrush,  lost  their 
lower  extremities  until  they  furnished  little  con- 
cealment to  points  far  above  the  knee,  and  for 
the  first  time  the  pangs  of  hunger  so  gave  way  to 
the  pride  of  personal  appearance,  that  sitting 
there  upon  the  river  bank,  several  hours  of  the 
bright  Sabbath  morning  were  spent  framing  in 
a  new  pair  of  legs  from  a  saddle  blanket  of  such 
bright  colors,  that  when  finished  a  Ute  chief 
would  have  leaped  with  joy  at  being  their  pos- 
sessor. 

Entering  Malta,  the  stillness  of  a  well-ob- 
served Sabbath  pervaded  the  little  straggling 
camp,  and  stretched  far  away  up  the  gulch,  min- 
gling with  that  of  the  ever-silent  range  above. 
!N'o  sign  of  life  was  visible  save  two  native  dogs 
gnawing  away  at  the  carcass  of  a  dead  animal 
behind  an  old  deserted  log  stable  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  camp,  and  who,  thinking  they  "smelled 
Injuns,"  quickly  left  their  meal,  and  tearing 
along  beside  the  saddle  animal,  barked  and 
snarled  and  made  frantic  leaps  at  the  bright  col- 
ored trousers. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  133 

The  postoffice  of  Malta,  in  a  little  rough 
board  store  of  Byfield  and  Hippler,  was  ar- 
ranged on  the  end  of  the  counter  near  the  only 
window.  It  was  a  rough  hoard  affair,  and  the 
glass  that  covered  the  few  receptacles  for  letters 
was  so  completely  coated  with  dirt  and  dust,  ac- 
cumulated and  carefully  preserved  through  the 
whole  life  of  the  sleepy  camp,  that  the  move- 
ments of  the  operator  in  distributing  mail  were 
thoroughly  concealed,  while  no  care  was  required 
on  his  part  in  depositing  the  letters  in  their  re- 
ceptacles with  the  address  and  postmark  down- 
ward. 

Byfield  secured  the  general  delivery  bunch, 
and  throwing  them  on  the  store  counter  for  ex- 
amination, hastened  to  the  room  in  the  rear  to 
evict  an  itinerant  burro,  who,  encouraged 
through  the  stillness  arising  from  lack  of  trade 
within,  had  boldly  entered  through  a  rear  door 
and  attacked  the  pile  of  bacon  in  the  farthermost 
corner  of  the  room.  Meanwhile  the  greasy, 
worn  letters  were  eagerly  yet  carefully  sorted, 
many  of  which  bore  date  of  the  camp's  earliest 
settlement,  and  nearly  all  of  which  were  marked 
"Important,"  or  "In  Haste,"  but  none  bore  the 
name  sought.  This  of  itself,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  trousers  worn,  together  with  other  little  im- 
perfections in  personal  appearance  seemed 
somewhat  against  one,  and  for  the  moment  there 
came  a  longing  to  be  back  again  across  the  range 
^in  Taylor  Park,  and  close  beside  that  sole  remain- 
ing sack  of  flour.  But  it  was  a  long  way,  and 


134  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

present  hunger,  together  with  the  impossibility 
of  returning  without  a  limited  supply  of  food 
forbade  all  hope,  while  perhaps  it  was  as  easy  to 
obtain  the  full  amount  sought  as  this.  And  so 
after  carefully  preparing  and  rehearsing  a  tale 
that  would  stand  any  amount  of  cross-examina- 
tion on  the  part  of  a  mining  camp  store  keeper, 
it  was  poured  forth  with  such  result  that  the  fol- 
lowing morning  there  rode  back  down  the  river 
a  well-fed  and  joyous  prospector,  clad  in  a  can- 
vas suit  whose  profusion  of  copper  rivets  flash- 
ing in  the  bright  sunlight  failed  to  arouse  the 
dogs  as  the  trousers  had  done,  and  driving  be- 
fore him  the  two  pack  animals,  who  trudged  la- 
boriously forward  under  their  loads  of  flour, 
ham,  bacon,  sugar,  coffee,  and  other  delicacies  so 
long  a  stranger  to  his  camp.  Various  devices 
were  resorted  to  whereby  to  insure  the  fact  that  it 
was  not  all  a  dream;  then  marveled  long  at  the 
breadth  and  boldness  of  the  credit  system  in  Cal- 
ifornia Gulch. 

Meeting  with  but  indifferent  success  in  the 
Taylor  Park  and  Washington  Gulch  expedition, 
a  return  was  made  to  California  Gulch,  where 
the  carbonate  of  lead  ores  rich  with  silver  were 
creating  a  growing  attention  and  here  trailing 
along  the  wagon  road,  on  either  side  of  which 
was  scattered  a  store  or  two  and  a  few  saloons, 
and  along  where  Chestnut  street  in  Leadville 
now  lies,  was  found  encamped  with  his  little  out- 
fit gathered  about  him  a  prospector  of  more  than 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 


135 


ordinary  note.  His  name  was  Joseph  Watson, 
and  familiarly  referred  to  by  the  younger  of  his 
acquaintances  as  "Uncle  Joe."  Never  with 


Joe  Watson 


more  than  ordinary  advantages,  the  later  and 
greater  portion  of  his  life  had  been  spent  prowl- 
ing about  in  the  silent  fastnesses  of  the  moun- 


136  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

tain  ranges  in  search  of  the  precious  metals,  or 
in  the  crude  mining  camp,  surrounded  by  the 
motley  horde  that  followed.  Yet  the  manner 
and  speech  of  this  man  did  honor  to  the  influence 
and  teachings  of  the  leading  colleges  of  the  land. 
He  had  so  far  in  his  career  made  two  fortunes 
in  mining,  each  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars,  every  dollar  of  which  was  now  lost, 
largely  through  other  ventures. 

The  mountain  sides  of  California  Gulch,  as 
well  as  those  neighboring  (together  with  the  very 
ground  upon  which  Leadville  now  stands)  and 
well  down  toward  the  beds  of  the  drains,  were  at 
this  time  covered  with  a  primeval  forest  of  pine 
and  spruce;  its  sudden  devastation  being  but 
one  of  the  footprints  of  avaricious  man  as  he 
pursues  the  pathway  of  so  called  civilization  and 
progress. 

Evans  and  Watson  proved  old  acquaintances, 
and  together  it  was  arranged  to  establish  a  joint 
camp  well  up  toward  the  head  of  Iowa  Gulch, 
which  paralleled  California  Gulch  on  the  south, 
and  engage  in  a  systematic  search  for  the  coveted 
carbonate  of  lead  ores  so  rich  in  silver. 

Here  on  the  bank  of  a  rippling  stream  that 
flowed  down  the  gulch,  and  within  the  shelter  of 
the  heavy  timber  that  grew  to  the  water's  edge, 
camp  was  established. 

High  upon  the  mountain  side  to  the  south, 
an  inspiration  for  untiring  effort,  was  the  fam- 
ous "Long  and  Derry"  mine,  already  pouring 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  137 

out  great  quantities  of  ore,  the  richest  yet  pro- 
duced. 


Breakfast  being  over,  one  bright  morning  in 
the  early  autumn,  it  was  discovered  that  the 
camp's  supply  of  provisions  were  low,  and 
while  Evans  and  "Uncle  Joe"  went  into  the  hills 
upon  their  regular  search  for  wealth,  the  writer, 
with  saddle  and  pack  animal,  started  for  Malta 
to  secure  a  fresh  supply. 

Returning  some  time  before  the  noon  hour, 
there  was  found  sitting  beneath  the  shelter  of  a 
large  spruce  a  stranger,  who  arose  and  ap- 
proached. He  was  rather  a  large  man  with  a 
heavy  drooping  moustache,  and  hair  which  hung 
well  down  upon  the  collar  of  his  coat.  He  was 
erect  in  stature,  and  courteous  and  unaffected  in 
manner,  somewhat  past  the  prime  of  life,  though 
apparently  well  preserved.  While  not  bearing 
the  marks  of  recent  and  every-day  experience  at 
toil  and  exposure,  yet  there  was  about  him  the  ev- 
idence of  ease  and  a  certain  familiarity  with 
camp  life.  His  appearance  betokened  no  sur- 
prise, as  it  was  a  common  occurrence  at  this  time 
for  a  stranger  to  wander  over  the  range  from 
Fairplay  or  Alma  on  the  opposite  side,  and  pass- 
ing a  prospector's  camp  at  meal  time,  or  when 
hungry,  to  enter,  and  in  case  of  the  absence  of 
the  occupants,  to  await  their  return  or  help  him- 
self to  such  food  as  he  required.  Casting  the 
lash  rope  loose  from  the  pack,  which  consisted  of 
two  heavy  "panniers,"  the  stranger  was  called  to 


138 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 


assist  in  removing  the  load  from  the  animal's 
back. 

Turning  the  animals  loose,  the  cargo  was 
gathered  up  and  placed  in  its  proper  position  in 
the  camp,  preparatory  to  the  arrangements  for  a 
meal.  When  turning  to  the  stranger  the  writer 
remarked,  "Now,  partner,  if  you  will  rustle  a 
little  wood  we  will  have  something  to  eat." 
Seemingly  delighted  at  the  opportunity  to  serve, 
he  entered  the  forest  in  search  of  dead  limhs; 
returning  shortly  he  deposited  his  load  near  the 
blazing  camp  fire  and  inquired  if  there  was  any 
further  service  he  could  perform.  The  sugges- 
tion was  made  that  while  he  was  thus  engaged, 
it  would  possibly  be  well  to  bring  another  load. 
Without  comment  he  departed,  and  returning 


He  soon  returned  with  a  backload  which  he  deposited  near  the  camp  fire. 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  139 

with  the  second  load,  applied  for  further  em- 
ployment. Casting  about  for  some  further  ra- 
tional occupation  whereby  to  humor  the  man's 
apparently  inordinate  ambition  for  work,  two 
empty  kettles  sitting  near  suggested  further  oc- 
cupation. Giving  them  a  little  indicative  kick, 
permission  was  extended  for  him  to  bring  them 
filled  with  water  from  the  creek.  The  final  task 
ended,  dinner  was  nearly  ready;  still  the  man 
craved  work ;  hence,  it  was  now  quite  plain  that 
he  was  a  stranger  in  these  parts,  and  from  a  long 
way  off.  Finally  he  was  induced  to  sit  down 
and  make  himself  at  home  until  the  midday  meal 
was  complete. 

Fully  entertained  with  the  delights,  and  oc- 
cupied with  the  manifold  duties  of  preparing  a 
meal  over  a  camp  fire,  little  attention  was  paid 
the  guest  until  duties  were  ended  and  the  food 
ready  to  serve. 

Between  the  trunks  of  two  large  spruce  trees, 
standing  about  six  feet  apart,  had  been  fitted  a 
board  which  served  as  a  table.  On  either  side 
of  this,  and  resting  upon  stakes  driven  in  the 
ground,  was  still  another  board  which  answered 
the  purposes  of  a  seat. 

The  stranger  seated  himself  at  one  side  of  the 
table,  while  the  writer  took  the  opposite  side, 
when,  the  important  and  irritating  duties  of  a 
cook  being  ended,  he  cast  aside  all  reserve,  and 
descending  to  a  plane  with  ordinary  mortals,  at 
once  engaged  in  desultory  conversation. 


140  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

It  may  be  stated  here  that  amongst  other 
weaknesses  the  writer  possessed,  was  one  re- 
cently acquired  of  imparting  to  apparently  unin- 
formed denizens  of  the  hills  a  line  of  informa- 
tion, absolutely  unrestricted  and  ofttimes  of 
doubtful  authority.  This  habit  had  largely  been 
formed  through  an  insane  desire  to  escape  as 
quickly  as  possible  the  tantalizing  distinction  of 
being  a  "tenderfoot." 

Cautious  inquiry  was  first  made  into  the 
stranger's  occupation,  and  the  attempt  made  to 
call  forth  any  superior  knowledge  he  might 
possess  along  any  particular  line,  but  so  far 
as  could  be  determined,  he  was  not  a  spe- 
cialist in  anything.  Fortified  with  this  belief, 
a  volume  of  information  directly  concerning 
mines  and  mining  was  poured  forth  with 
little  departures  here  and  there,  until  finally 
it  involved  the  affairs  of  the  country  gener- 
ally. He  proved  a  most  excellent  listener, 
while  his  unconcealed  interest  and  appreciation 
was  of  so  flattering  and  encouraging  a  nature 
that  it  was  felt  proper  contribution  could  not  be 
made  to  so  ardent  and  grateful  a  searcher  after 
knowledge.  Finally,  as  feared,  the  supply  of 
information  concerning  matters  which  had  oc- 
curred during  the  writer's  lifetime  became  ex- 
hausted, and  he  was- forced  to  resort  to  more  an- 
cient things,  and  to  that  end  first  took  up  for  dis- 
cussion the  matter  of  the  war  between  the  North 
and  the  South.  Gallantly  sailing  along  with  the 
new  subject,  manufacturing  history  and  scatter- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

ing  it  by  the  wayside,  until  at  last,  pausing  for 
an  instant  to  sever  a  piece  of  bacon  rind  with  his 
teeth,  he  was  startled  at  the  man's  modestly  ven- 
turing a  correction  to  a  portion  of  the  mass  of  de- 
tail delivered.  The  writer  was  now  not  only 
startled  at  the  radical  departure,  but  simultane- 
ously there  crept  over  him  just  the  faintest  sus- 
picion of  being  ambushed. 

Stopping  short,  a  reconnoitre  was  com- 
menced, first  inquiring  if  the  stranger  was  in  the 
army  during  the  war.  He  replied  that  he  was. 
"What  state  were  you  from?"  "Illinois." 
"Were  you  a  private  or  an  officer  ?"  "An  offi- 
cer." "How  did  you  rank?"  "Well,  I  ranked 
as  a  general  at  the  close  of  the  war." 

It  was  now  evident  there  was  trouble  ahead, 
and  pausing  for  a  moment  to  look  the  field  over 
for  some  avenue  of  escape,  meekly  asked,  "What 
may  I  call  your  name?"  "My  name  is  Logan." 

Instantly  the  evidence  in  the  case  condensed 
itself  in  most  convincing  form.  He  was  from 
Illinois,  was  a  general  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
I  glanced  across  the  table  at  the  dark,  swarthy 
features  of  the  man,  the  long  hair,  the  drooping 
moustache  and  the  high  cheek  bones.  Unlooked- 
for  as  his  presence  was,  there  could  be  no  mis- 
take. It  was  the  man  whose  portrait  had  been 
so  familiar  since  early  boyhood.  And  now  with 
a  sickly  smile  of  apology  and  resignation,  the 
final  question  was  falteringly  asked,  "John  A. 
Logan  ?'"  Gazing  intently  at  me,  he  pushed  his 
tin  plate  to  one  side,  fished  a  toothpick  from  his 


142  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

vest  pocket,  and  resting  his  elbow  on  the  table 
replied,  "Yes,  sir." 

The  dinner  dishes  were  washed  and  wiped  in 
silence  on  the  part  of  the  writer,  and  for  an  hour 
or  more  we  lounged  about  the  camp  fire  and 
'neath  the  tall  spruces,  smoking,  while  he  (in  the 
humane  effort  to  be  charitable)  talked  freely  on 
various  subjects,  carefully  avoiding,  however, 
that  of  the  war  of  the  Kebellion.  And  thus  the 
fact  was  developed  that  the  General  had  been 
sitting  at  his  own  table  and  eating  his  own  food, 
for  it  was  he  who  was  grubstaking  "Uncle  Joe." 


OHAPTEE  VIII. 

Patiently  and  confidently,  day  after  day,  the 
mountain  sides  were  searched  for  some  evidence 
of  the  wealth  so  eagerly  sought,  sinking  here  and 
there  a  hole  upon  some  indication  of  a  treasure 
which  lay  beneath.  Prospecting  over  the  en- 
tire district  was  upon  the  whole  blind  work.  The 
ore  occurring  not  as  fissure  veins  more  or  less 
vertical,  whose  apexes  of  less  destructible  mate- 
rial would  at  intervals  present  themselves,  but 
contact  deposits  of  considerable  depth,  and  oc- 
curring more  or  less  horizontally,  they  had  little 
tendency  to  present  themselves  to  the  eye  of  the 
prospector  who  roamed  upon  the  surface. 

Roughly,  the  geology  of  the  district  may  be 
described,  as  successive  sheets  of  sedimentary 
and  igneous  rocks,  resting  conformably  upon  the 
underlying  granite.  Both  the  sedimentaries 
and  the  igneous  were  of  varying  character.  Com- 
monly there  was  found  resting  upon  the  granite 
a  sheet  of  quartzite.  Above  this,  a  white  lime, 
then  sporadically  occurred  a  parting  quartzite 
largely  overlaid  by  an  intrusive  porphyry.  Fol- 
lowing this  came  two  almost  universal  sheets,  the 
first  a  blue  lime,  the  second  a  white  porhpyry, 
the  whole  blanketed  by  wash  and  ofttimes  in  ad- 
dition thereto  by  grits  and  lake  beds,  the  com- 
bined formations  having  been  uplifted,  folded, 

10 


144  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

faulted  and  cut  through  by  porphyry  dikes  to  a 
marked  degree.  The  entire  formations  overly- 
ing the  granites  in  many  localities  presented  a 
thickness  of  from  two  to  thre£  thousand  feet, 
while  at  other  points  the  granite  approached 
closely  to  the  surface. 

The  great  deposits  of  these  silver-lead  ores 
were  found  occurring  most  generally  at  the  con- 
tact between  the  white  porphyry  and  the  blue 
lime,  in  some  instances  wholly  in  the  lime,  but 
near  the  contact.  On  Fryer  Hill  it  was  largely 
in  a  sheet  of  blue  lime,  which  was  both  under- 
laid and  overlaid  by  white  porphyry. 

The  points  easiest  of  attack  were  where  the 
anticlines  of  the  great  folds  reached  nearest  the 
surface,  and  that  portion  of  the  summit  or  crown 
involving  the  upper  or  covering  sheets  had  been 
scoured  away  to  a  point  exposing  the  ore,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Little  Chief,  Little  Pittsburg, 
and  other  great  discoveries.  Yet  these  were  in- 
variably covered  with  some  considerable  depths 
of  detritus.  The  greatest  depths  of  these  ore  de- 
posits, however,  scarce  ever  exceeded  250  feet. 
It  may  be  readily  seen  how  earlier  prospectors 
searching  upon  the  surface,  and  with  no  suspi- 
cion of  the  fact,  tread  repeatedly  and  ofttimes 
camped  upon  areas  beneath  which  but  a  slight 
depth,  and  covered  only  by  material  easily  re- 
moved by  the  simple  use  of  pick  and  shovel, 
rested  bodies  of  ore  worth  millions  of  dollars 
through  the  gold  and  silver  they  contained,  while 
the  unsuspecting,  and  impecunious  prospector 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  145 

camped  above,  cursed  his  luck,  and  the  worthless- 
ness  of  the  ground. 

During  the  summer  of  '77,  the  only  discov- 
eries which  were  producing,  or  which  in  fact 
made  any  showing  of  great  promise,  were  the 
Long  and  Derry,  the  Camp  Bird,  the  Iron  Sil- 
ver, and  the  Oro  La  Plata,  the  original  discovery 
made  by  Bradshaw.  The  Long  and  Derry  be- 
ing by  far  the  most  productive,  shipping  one 
single  wagon  load  of  ore  that  netted  the  owners 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  that  after  the  most 
outrageous  charges  by  the  purchasers  for  reduc- 
tion, a  custom  most  common  in  those  early  days. 
Yet  notwithstanding  this  avalanche  of  wealth, 
the  writer,  some  twenty  years  later,  met  Jake 
Long,  the  discoverer  and  one  of  the  owners,  trudg- 
ing along  a  dusty  trail  in  the  southern  portion 
of  the  San  Luis  Valley,  bare-footed,  and  driving 
before  him  a  burro  on  whose  back  was  borne  the 
man's  entire  earthly  possessions,  while  the  burro 
remained  far  from  being  overloaded.  He  was 
now  headed  for  the  San  Juan  in  search  of  an- 
other fortune. 

As  will  be  noted  from  the  description  of  the 
geology  and  ore  occurrence  of  the  camp,  actual 
discoveries  were  difficult  to  make,  and  these  only 
through  blind  work,  into  which  the  element 
of  chance  largely  entered. 

However,  before  the  occurrence  of  snow, 
which  falls  in  mid-autumn  at  this  elevation  of 
over  two  miles  above  sea  level,  Evans  had  se- 


146  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

lected  and  located  several  pieces  of  ground. 
Uncle  Joe  was  more  difficult  to  suit  in  the 
way  of  a  location.  He  was  a  man  far  above  the 
ordinary  prospector  in  point  of  information  and 
scientific  attainment.  He  had  certain  ideas  re- 
garding the  fitness  of  things  geologically. 
Through  such  reasoning  he  had  figured  out 
where  ore  should  occur  and  where  it  should  not, 
and  insisted  upon  finding  it  only  there.  Upon 
the  whole  he  was  a  most  interesting  man,  intelli- 
gent, good  natured,  and  filled  with  kind  consid- 
eration, the  writer  soon  found  himself  looking  to 
the  man  for  advice  and  encouragement  rather 
than  to  his  partner,  who  a  single  man,  long  re- 
tired from  the  associations  of  home  life,  and  con- 
fined to  the  environment  of  camp  and  boarding 
house,  had  grown  to  a  degree  impatient  with  the 
annoyances  of  a  so-called  tenderfoot,  while  Uncle 
Joe  had  boys  of  his  own. 

The  man  was  at  the  time  one  of  the  most,  if 
not  the  most,  experienced  mining  men  in  the 
state,  while  his  success  hereinbefore  referred  to 
had  been  met  with  by  few ;  yet  now  he  was,  to 
use  the  term,  "dead  broke." 

The  season  for  prospecting  had  nearly 
passed,  the  stern  relentless  winter  of  those  high 
elevations  was  approaching,  and  he  had  made  no 
discovery  or  location  which  he  could  conscien- 
tiously recommend  for  development  during  the 
winter.  Down  in  the  bottom  of  the  ten-foot 
hole  we  were  sinking  jointly,  the  writer  listened 
to  his  recital  of  the  past  and  the  fortune  it  had 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  147 

brought  him,  his  present  condition,  and  gloomy 
picturing  of  the  future,  and  his  fixed  conclusion 
in  the  final  remark,  "No,  my  boy,  success  of 
that  sort  hardly  ever  comes  to  a  man  the  third 
time,  and  it  ain't  reasonable  to  expect  it." 

Soon  the  storm  clouds  hovered,  and  the  snow 
fell  deep  and  shut  off  further  prospecting,  and 
Uncle  Joe  gathered  up  his  tools,  drifted  de- 
jectedly up  to  a  claim  called  the  Morning  Star, 
where  for  a  "grub  stake"  and  a  one-fourth  inter- 
est he  stood  all  day  in  the  swirling  snow  and  the 
bleak  winds,  and  windlassed  and  dumped  the 
bucket.  Day  by  day,  and  week  by  week  he 
wound  it  to  the  surface  filled  with  nothing  but 
barren  rock,  until  near  the  close  of  a  day's  work 
after  months  of  toil  and  exposure  and  growing 
discouragement,  his  strength  seemed  to  fail  him 
as  he  started  a  bucket  load  from  the  bottom  of 
the  shaft,  and  while  he  heard  the  murmur  of  ex- 
cited voices  far  below,  he  interpreted  it  as  fear 
that  through  his  failing  strength  he  would  drop 
the  mass  of  broken  rock  upon  them ;  concentrat- 
ing his  energies,  the  heavy  load  toiled  slowly 
upward  at  each  revolution  of  the  crank,  until 
finally  appearing  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft  his 
eyes  rested  upon  a  scarce  half  filled  bucket,  for 
the  material  therein  was  one-half  lead  and  con- 
tained hundreds  of  ounces  of  silver  per  ton. 

A  few  months  later  his  interest  in  this  prop- 
erty had  netted  him  more  than  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 


148  EEMINISCENT    RAMBUNGS. 

The  winter  of  '77  and  '78  in  California 
Gulch  was  one  of  deep  snows  and  extreme  cold, 
and  comfortable  winter  quarters  were  not  easy 
to  obtain.  When  Uncle  Joe  left  and  went  to 
work  on  the  Morning  Star,  a  return  to  the  sole 
companionship  of  a  "tenderfoot"  was  too  retro- 
grading a  nature  for  Evans,  and  he  sought  other 
society  and  a  new  home. 

John  Thompson,  an  old-timer  in  the  gulch 
in  placer  days,  now  spent  his  summers  on  a  small 
ranch  down  the  river,  and  his  winters  working 
his  claims  up  there  in  the  gulch,  where  he  owned 
an  uncommonly  good  log  house. 

Another  old-timer  and  character  known  as 
"Old  Uncle  Dave  Fulton/7  left  his  own  little  log 
cabin  in  Oro,  up  at  the  head  of  the  gulch  each 
winter  and  came  down  and  lived  with  Thompson 
and  worked  for  him  and  others.  And  thus  it- 
happened  that  through  the  innate  hospitality  that 
has  ever  been  a  feature  of  the  denizens  of  early 
mining  camps,  the  writer,  together  with  another 
young  man  named  Walter  G.  Middle-ton,  found 
comfortable  shelter  for  the  winter. 

Middleton  was  a  young  man,  well  bred  and 
accomplished.  Amongst  other  little  accomplish- 
ments, he  played  the  guitar,  and  this  aroused  a 
spirit  of  rivalry  in  the  landlord,  John  Thomp- 
son. Thompson  himself  was  a  character  of  no 
ordinary  variety,  though  differing  entirely  in  his 
make-up  from  Dave  Fulton.  Lean,  lank,  and 
ungainly  in  form,  with  straggling,  unkempt 
locks,  a  bunch  of  faded  and  somewhat  artificial 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 


149 


looking  whiskers  (with  the  under  lip  so  shaven 
as  to  create  the  impression  of  their  being  fes- 
tooned from  the  corners  of  his  month),  covered 
the  point  of  his  chin  and  hanging  mechanically 


John  Thompson 

downward  seemed  at  any  time  about  to  lose  their 
scanty  hold  entirely.  His  speech  was  a  combi- 
nation of  Missouri  and  down-east  dialect,  while 
his  habits  and  manners  were  equally  droll,  rural 
and  kindly.  An  old  violin,  never  of  superior 
tone,  but  now,  after  years  of  service  down  on  the 


150  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

river  and  up  here  in  the  gulch,  a  most  dilapi- 
dated and  discordant  affair,  was  Thompson's  sole 
instrument  of  amusement,  and  in  which  was 
centered  the  sum  total  of  his  ambition  along  the 
line  of  accomplishments,  and  now  when  Middle- 
ton  and  the  guitar  found  their  way  into  the  gulch 
and  under  the  same  roof,  Thompson  and  the  old 
violin  had  met  with  competitive  encroachment 
never  yet  experienced,  and  realizing  it,  he  played 
more  frequently  than  ever  before  the  only  pieces 
he  had  ever  known,  "The  Devil's  Dream"  and 
the  "White  Cockade." 

Dave  Fulton  was  an  even  more  original  and 
striking  character  than  John  Thompson ;  a  man 
approaching  three  score  years  and  ten,  though 
well  preserved,  of  herculean  proportions,  silent 
upon  the  whole,  and  gentle  and  soft-spoken  in 
the  limited  speech  he  employed.  The  heavy 
gray  beard  and  moustache  he  wore  but  imper- 
fectly concealed  the  strong  lines  of  character 
with  which  his  face  was  drawn,  while  from  be- 
neath dense  bushy  brows  there  twinkled  a  pair 
of  merry  mirthful  eyes,  while  a  profusion  of 
gray  hair  rested  its  curling  locks  upon  the  collar 
of  his  coat.  He  was  the  hermit  of  California 
Gulch. 

The  Pike's  Peak  excitement  had  lured  him 
from  his  little  farm  and  family  in  Ohio,  in  the 
hope  to  make  a  stake  whereby  to  erect  a  modern 
house  in  place  of  the  primitive  and  weather- 
beaten  old  structure  that  had  afforded  them  shel- 
ter so  long,  and  own  a  little  more  pretentious 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 


151 


WAX  .;;,     14ft1 


" 


I/ 


Uncle  D»ve  Fulton 

vehicle  than  the  old  farm  wagon,  wherein  his 
wife  and  children  might  each  Sabbath  journey 
over  to  the  village  church,  while  he  with  a  con- 
science now  at  ease,  might  remain  at  home  and 
read  and  re-read  the  teachings  of  Tom  Paine,  of 
whom  Uncle  Dave  was  an  ardent  admirer.  And 
finally  to  send  his  children  (when  the  time 
came)  so  far  away  to  school  that  the  payment  of 


152  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

board  and  room  would  be  a  necessity,  and  re- 
quire the  expenditure  of  more  money  than  the 
little  farm  declared  in  dividends  each  year.  In 
pursuit  of  all  which  his  pathway  finally  led  him 
into  California  Gulch  during  the  days  of  its 
placers.  And  here  he  toiled  and  washed  the  au- 
riferous sands  and  his  own  clothes  and  cooked 
his  own  food,  through  long  weary  months  and 
even  years,  and  recovered  only  just  about  enough 
to  keep  the  clothes  and  food  replaced,  while  ex- 
asperation and  dogged  determination  in  place  of 
discouragement  took  possession  of  him  as  each 
month  he  saw  others  of  his  fellow  workers  make 
"cleanups"  that  alone  would  have  gratified  his 
ambition,  and  sent  him  rejoicing  back  over  the 
long,  weary  pathway  of  the  trackless  plains  to 
the  home,  and  those  for  whom  his  efforts  had 
been  in  behalf. 

And  now  each  day  through  the  influence  of 
his  own  misfortunes,  and  the  princely  achieve- 
ments of  those  about  him,  his  determination  sim- 
ply strengthened,  and  he  swore  a  solemn  oath 
that  he  would  never  leave  the  gulch  and  its  im- 
mediate vicinity  until  he  had  accomplished  the 
purpose  for  which  he  came.  And  here  we  find 
him,  after  the  snows  of  eighteen  winters  had  in 
turn  filled  the  gulch,  and  the  icy  blasts  from  the 
white  sheeted  and  lofty  range  above  had  swept 
down  as  regularly,  and  locked  in  their  icy  em- 
brace the  waters  of  the  little  stream  with  which 
he  washed  his  dirt,  and  piled  the  snow  deep  in 
the  pit  wherein  he  dug  and  high  about  the  little 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  153 

log  cabin  nearby  wherein  he  doggedly  awaited 
the  coming  of  another  springtime ;  while  during 
all  these  eighteen  years  he  had  faithfully  kept 
his  vow  and  confined  himself  to  the  gulch  and 
its  surroundings,  and  when  the  day  of  weary, 
fruitless  toil  was  ended,  there  in  the  little  log 
shelter  by  the  dim  light  of  a  candle,  he  with 
rigid  regularity  inscribed  a  message  filled  with 
hope  and  devotion  to  the  loved  ones  who  in  all 
these  years  he  had  never  seen. 

And  now  when  the  placers  were  nearly  ex- 
tinct, came  a  new  source  of  wealth  in  the  gulch, 
the  discovery  of  the  carbonate  ores,  and  forsak- 
ing the  placers,  Uncle  Dave  (joining  the  little 
group  in  John  Thompson's  cabin)  cast  a  cheer 
upon  the  household,  and  his  fortunes  with  those 
about  him  in  digging  for  the  new-found  form  of 
wealth. 

Notwithstanding  his  years  of  solitude,  lone- 
liness and  ill  luck,  Uncle  Dave  was  fond  of 
the  society  of  those  he  liked  and  particularly 
young  people.  His  great  warm  heart  overflowed 
not  only  with  kindness  and  generosity,  but  with 
the  love  of  harmless  fun  beside.  He  was  never 
known  to  laugh  aloud,  but  the  distortions  of  his 
hairy  face,  and  the  convulsions  of  his  huge 
frame,  gave  evidence  of  his  ungovernable  mirth. 
He  was  a  great  practical  joker,  and  seemed  at 
all  times  quite  as  pleased  at  becoming  the  sub- 
ject himself.  And  so  one  cold  night,  after  he 
had  cooked  and  eaten  his  supper  and  carefully 
set  his  alarm  clock  for  the  following  morning 


154  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

(before  going  down  to  Tabor's  store  to  spend  the 
evening,  as  was  his  custom),  Middleton  in  his  ab- 
sence boldly  removed  the  old  clock  from  the  wall 
behind  his  bunk,  changed  the  alarm  from  where 
he  had  set  it  for  six  o'clock  the  following  morn- 
ing to  midnight  of  that  night,  and  then,  replac- 
ing it,  retired  to  await  the  result. 

At  the  usual  hour  of  ten  p.  m.  Uncle  Dave 
crept  cautiously  in,  and  as  ever,  considerate  of 
others,  noiselessly  disrobed  in  the  darkness  and 
rolling  into  his  bunk  was  soon  sound  asleep. 

Patiently  awaiting  the  approach  of  mid- 
night, there  finally  burst  forth  and  rent  the  still- 
ness, the  whirr,  buzz  and  discordant  jingle  of  the 
old  alarm  clock. 

Uncle  Dave  stirred  slightly,  then  yawning, 
turned  slowly  over  on  his  back,  stretched  his 
arms  above  his  head,  gaped  repeatedly,  then  re- 
lapsing for  a  time  into  silent  consideration  of 
the  matter,  terminating  with  a  long  drawn  yawn, 
arose  slowly  and  under  protest,  dressed  and  ap- 
proaching the  stove  in  the  far  corner  of  the  room, 
muttered  his  surprise  at  the  condition  of  the 
fire,  then  seemingly  assured  that  it  was  all  right, 
set  to  work  preparing  his  breakfast.  The  water 
in  the  kettle  was  now  boiling,  the  biscuit  in  the 
oven  nearly  done,  and  the  meat  sizzling  cheerily 
in  the  frying  pan,  when,  lighting  his  pipe  and 
seating  himself  before  the  fire  with  the  coffee 
mill  between  his  knees,  his  eyes  rested  upon  the 
clock;  a  frightful  imprecation  escaped  his  lips, 
as  at  the  same  time  the  pipe  fell  to  the  floor. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  155 

Rising  suddenly  he  strode  across  the  room  to 
obtain  a  closer  view,  which  but  confirmed  the 
discovery.  Then  the  old  man's  expressions  of 
his  estimation  of  that  time-piece  actually  stopped 
it,  and  shook  the  very  bunks  in  which  the  re- 
maining sleepers  rested. 

Despite  the  terrors  of  the  scene,  a  snicker  es- 
caped which  reached  his  ear;  then  two  young 
"tenderfeet"  were  ruthlessly  hauled  from  their 
beds,  slammed  about  the  room  in  their  night 
clothes,  and  finally,  through  the  persuasiveness 
of  a  lustily  wielded  pack  saddle  cinch,  induced 
to  finish  cooking  the  breakfast,  wait  upon  the 
facetious  old  lad  while  he  ate,  and  finally  wash 
the  dishes. 

Thus  passed  the  days  and  nights  during  the 
winter  of  '77  and  '78  up  in  the  lonely  and  prac- 
tically snow-bound  gulch  in  company  with  such 
others  of  the  old  characters  remaining  from 
placer  days  as  "Put"  Crane,  Bob  Berry,  Tom 
Starr,  Tom  and  Joe  Wells,  and  many  more 
herein  unmentioned  who  were  nightly  callers  at 
the  cabin  of  John  Thompson.  A  small  band  it 
was,  taken  altogether,  though  the  foundation  was 
being  laid  for  a  camp  that  would  soon  startle  the 
world,  yet  not  one  of  those  then  living  there  even 
dreamed  of  the  storm  of  success  and  excitement 
hovering  over  it,  and  which  burst  with  such  fury 
but  a  few  months  later. 

The  entire  gulch  at  the  opening  of  winter 
contained  a  population  of  less  than  four  hundred 
people,  men,  women  and  children. 


156  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Eighteen  months  later  it  was  the  home  of 
from  30,000  to  40,000  souls,  and  Leadville  had 
become  the  second  city  in  the  state,  with  miles 
of  its  streets  lighted  by  gas  and  adorned  with 
modern  buildings,  private  and  public.  Schools, 
hospitals  and  churches  abounded  as  in  the  oldest 
and  most  enterprising  of  Eastern  towns. 

Reference  to  Leadville  churches  at  this  date 
pictures  in  the  writer's  mind  the  striking  con- 
trast with  the  conditions  existing  during  the  fall 
of  1877  so  briefly  preceding,  when  Capt.  Breece 
died.  He,  after  whom  was  named  the  famed 
Breece  Hill.  In  arranging  for  his  funeral,  it 
was  proposed  by  Tom  Wells,  another  old  timer, 
to  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible,  that  some  small 
degree  of  formality,  solemnity  and  respect  might 
attend  the  old  pioneer's  departure.  But  when 
that  part  of  the  programme  involving  religious 
services  was  reached  and  a  search  was  ended  of 
the  old  man's  shelves  and  cupboard,  it  was  found 
that  no  such  work  existed  there.  Hastily  mes- 
sengers were  sent  to  neighboring  cabins,  which 
at  last  revealed  the  fact  that  no  such  article  as  a 
book  containing  the  Word  of  God  was  to  be 
found  in  the  possession  of  anyone.  Finally  a 
skirmisher  returned  having  unearthed  an  Epis- 
copal prayer  book,  from  which,  with  most  extra- 
ordinary dignified  and  reverent  mien  and  with 
an  expression  of  face  and  tone  of  voice  first  be- 
speaking a  meek  apology  to  the  deceased  at  the 
delay,  then  congratulation  at  having  departed 
from  a  gulch  so  poorly  provided  with  material 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  157 

for  the  preservation  of  the  soul,  Tom  read  page 
after  page,  until  finally  amongst  those  of  the 
congregation  who  still  remained,  the  only  indi- 
vidual who  had  failed  to  murmur  at  the  weari- 
ness and  unrest  was  Breece  himself. 

The  winter  with  its  alternating  conditions  of 
gloom  and  cheer  wore  gradually  away.  Very 
little  was  as  yet  being  produced. 

Toward  the  close  of  winter  the  stock  of  pro- 
visions ran  low;  a  long,  tiresome  journey  on 
horseback  through  deep  snows  to  Denver  failed 
to  arouse  additional  support  in  the  undertaking. 

Slowly  and  sadly  the  writer  wended  his  way 
back  over  the  mountains,  impecunious  and  for- 
lorn. Even  the  usual  ambition  of  "Old  Nig," 
the  saddle  horse,  seemed  blighted  through  the 
burden  of  gloom  he  bore  upon  his  back.  The 
trail  appeared  strewn  with  the  wreck  of  castles, 
yachts  and  equipages^  which  upon  former  trips 
had  been  scattered  by  the  way  as  the  spontaneous 
product  of  a  romantic,  joyous  and  fruitful  imag- 
ination of  final  results  in  the  carbonate  camp, 
while  fanciful  figures,  perched  upon  the  now 
crumbling  arches-  and  tottering  turrets  of 
dreamy  creation,  laughed  in  hollow  mockery  at 
one's  distress. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

It  required  but  little  time  to  close  up  affairs 
in  the  gulch,  when  with  animals  packed,  and 
accompanied  by  Middleton,  we  filed  down  the 
valley  of  the  Arkansas  past  the  mouth  of  Wes- 
ton's  and  on  further  south  to  Trout  Creek  Pass, 
simply  to  introduce  new  scenes  and  avoid  a  re- 
currence of  sad  reminiscences  aroused  through 
passing  over  the  old  route. 

Reaching  Denver,  the  little  outfit  was  stored 
and  the  animals  turned  loose  upon  the  range. 
Denver  and  its  vicinity  in  those  days  offered  a 
far  better  field  for  an  animal  to  obtain  a  living 
through  its  own  efforts  than  for  an  individual. 
Bands  of  antelope  then  roamed  freely  over  what 
is  now  the  City  Park  and  munched  the  rich  dried 
"buffalo"  grass,  and  rested  at  night  upon  the 
dry  ground,  in  a  dry  atmosphere  and  beneath  the 
clear  blue  sky  and  suffered  little  of  the  woes  of 
the  human  being,  who  "dead  broke,"  sought  in 
vain  to  earn  his  table  board  and  room  rent,  for 
the  town  was  then  but  little  else  than  a  sanita- 
rium filled  with  victims  of  the  "white  plague," 
many  of  whom  were  only  threatened,  or  slightly 
affected,  and  they,  too,  short  of  means  and  ambi- 
tious to  do  almost  anything  to  help  pay  expenses, 
until  there  was  little  to  be  had  that  would  prop- 
erly clothe  and  feed  a  hearty,  husky,  hungry 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  159 

young  prospector  who  was  not  receiving  a  cent 
from  home. 

And  so  when  it  became  quietly  known  that 
the  "floor  walker"  in  a  certain  dry  goods  store 
would  probably  soon  be  compelled  to  surrender 
his  position,  owing  to  ill  health,  no  time  was  lost 
in  applying  for  the  position,  for  somehow  the 
title  sounded  familiar  after  recent  experiences; 
and  now  while  awaiting  the  vacancy,  strolls  were 
taken  past  the  store  regularly  each  morning,  and 
a  glance  inside  to  see  if  he  was  still  there,  and 
note  any  little  change  for  the  worse  in  his  condi- 
tion which  might  have  occurred  during  the 
night,  but  in  some  manner  the  man's  health 
seemed  to  improve  from  the  very  date  of  applica- 
tion, until  at  last  he  reached  a  condition  so  dis- 
couraging that,  abandoning  further  hope,  ser- 
vice was  engaged  in  at  herding  cattle  for  an  old 
German  named  Captain  Ochus,  over  near  Mor- 
rison, at  the  foot  hills  of  the  range  and  about 
twelve  miles  from  Denver.  The  Captain  was  a 
genial,  diplomatic  old  Teuton,  and  conducted  his 
negotiations  with  such  subtleness  as  to  place  one 
in  an  absolutely  defenceless  position  so  far  as 
the  matter  of  pay  was  concerned.  The  impres- 
sion gained  being  that  he  had  no  particular  ser- 
vice to  perform  worth  mentioning,  and  did  he 
have,  of  course  thoroughly  understood  the  bad 
form  and  discourteousness  of  approaching  a 
party  occupying  the  writer's  station  in  life  in 
the  light  of  a  wage  earner.  He  was,  in  short,  led 
to  the  proposition  simply  through  the  desire  for 
11 


160  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

an  association  more  congenial  to  his  tastes,  for 
truly  the  Captain  was  a  cultivated  old  chap,  edu- 
cated and  possessed  of  varied  accomplishments. 
To  employ  his  own  expression,  he  was  "simply 
withering  out  there  in  the  vulgar  atmosphere  of 
a  cow  camp  through  lack  of  association  with 
some  kindred  soul."  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
there  was,  it  was  true,  some  little  service  to  per- 
form, which  though  scarcely  sufficient  to  dispel 
the  monotony  of  a  continued  life  of  idleness  and 
ease,  was  nevertheless  too  great  for  the  old  gen- 
tleman to  accept  unless  privileged  to  ease  his 
sensitiveness  through  the  payment  of  some  little 
matter  of  form  salary,  say  fifteen  dollars  per 
month.  The  writer  was  in  addition,  at  perfect 
liberty  to  take  along  his  saddle  horse,  as  he  might 
prove  a  satisfaction  and  convenience,  while  his 
keep  at  the  ranch  cut  no  figure  whatever. 

When  at  last  the  Captain's  proposition  was 
all  in,  there  remained  no  excuse  for  any  counter 
proposition  unless  perhaps  one  chose  to  protest 
against  accepting  the  fifteen  dollars  per  month, 
or  insisted  upon  at  least  paying  for  the  keep  of 
the  horse,  without  exposure  of  actual  condition, 
and  absolute  destruction  of  social  and  financial 
standing  in  the  Captain's  estimation. 

Considering  the  matter  carefully,  it  seemed 
hard  to  rob  the  man  of  his  innocent  and  sincere 
belief  of  the  writer's  affluence,  for  it  had  been  a 
long  time  since  he  had  enjoyed  such  an  impres- 
sion on  the  part  of  anyone. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  161 

After  a  month  at  the  ranch,  it  was  easy  to  de- 
termine that,  with  sixteen  hours  each  day  in  the 
saddle,  beside  a  little  batch  of  chores  at  the  ranch 
night  and  morning,  one  was  wholly  unable  to  in- 
dulge the  Captain  along  social  lines  to  anywhere 
near  the  extent  no  doubt  he  had  anticipated ;  so 
with  a  keen  sense  of  injustice  and  neglect,  the 
writer  remarked  to  him  one  night  after  coming 
in  from  the  range,  "Well,  Captain,  sorry  to  leave 
you,  but  actually  I  am  becoming  so  attached  to 
this  sort  of  life  that  I  fear  its  growing  influence. 
The  longer  I  remain,  the  more  fascinated  I  find 
myself  becoming  with  this  indolent,  Bohemian, 
butterfly  existence,  and  the  more  difficult  to  for- 
sake it,  while  the  fact  is,  my  private  interests 
demand  an  attention  of  which  they  have  already 
been  robbed  to  an  alarming  extent  though  an 
insane  desire  to  devote  myself  to  pleasure  and  re- 
creation of  this  sort." 

The  Captain  listened  to  this  little  valedictory 
with  as  great  apparent  credulity  as  his  introduc- 
tory statements  had  been  accepted  on  the  day  of 
engagement,  though  there  was  now  plainly  felt 
a  dense  atmosphere  of  mutual  suspicion  of  each 
other's  insincerity. 

The  following  morning  the  writer  strolled 
leisurely  along  the  trail  to  Denver,  leading  be- 
hind him  the  animated  skeleton  of  what  had  been 
a  saddle  horse,  and  silently  considering  what 
sort  of  diet  to  invest  the  fifteen  dollars  in  to  most 
quickly  and  fully  restore  him. 


162  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Reaching  Denver,  Middleton  was  found  a 
total  wreck.  He  had  but  a  short  time  previous 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  gentleman  of  dash- 
ing and  distinguished  appearance,  who  had  re- 
cently arrived  in  town,  and  from  whose  innocent 
and  unassuming  remarks  let  drop  from  time  to 
time,  a  keen  observer  might  easily  detect  a  gen- 
tleman of  unlimited  means.  He  had  traveled 
extensively,  and  all  Europe  seemed  to  remain  as 
familiar  to  him  as  the  cow  camp  experience  does 
to  the  writer.  Middleton  had  succeeded  in  get- 
ting very  close  to  him,  and  had  in  fact  been  en- 
gaged by  him  to  act  as  his  private  secretary,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  to  accompany  him  during 
the  completion  of  his  tour.  Now,  he  was  found 
alone,  dejected,  and  his  rich  and  aristocratic 
friend  and  employer  missing.  A  most  mysteri- 
ous proceeding,  as  the  wealthy  stranger  had  all 
the  while  confided  in  him  closely,  and  like  a  true 
gentleman,  whereby  to  remove  from  Middleton's 
sensitive  nature  any  feeling  of  inequality  or  sub- 
ordination he  might  harbor  due  to  the  great  dif- 
ference that  existed  in  their  worldly  possessions, 
had  dined  with  him  at  his  modest  eating  place, 
the  "Bon  Ton"  restaurant,  to  the  extent  that 
he  had  consumed  his  share  of  two  five-dollar  meal 
tickets,  and  meanwhile  in  a  further  spirit  of  ab- 
solute equality,  had  borrowed  of  him  from  time 
to  time,  small  sums  of  money,  all  of  which  had 
been  promptly  repaid  except  the  last,  a  ten-dollar 
note,  which  incidentally  amounted  to  consider- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  163 

able  more  than  all  the  balance  of  his  previous 
loans  combined. 

When  everything  else  failed  in  this  country 
at  that  time,  there  was  one  resource  left,  and  one 
which  was  invariably  resorted  to.  One  could  al- 
ways go  out  somewhere  and  take  up  a  dry  ranch, 
and  not  be  trodden  underfoot  in  a  great  stam- 
pede, for  the  supply  of  raw  material  was  inex- 
haustible and  reached  to  away  down  near  the 
Missouri  River  on  the  east  and  from  British  Co- 
lumbia on  the  north  to  the  "Panhandle"  on  the 
south,  and,  if  the  ranch  was  selected  with  rea- 
sonable judgment  as  to  a  locality  where  -jack  rab- 
bits were  fairly  plentiful,  one  was  assured  of  a 
moderately  good  living,  free  from  any  excessive 
drudgery  other  than  packing  what  little  water 
was  required  a  distance  of  anywhere  from  one  to 
ten  miles,  which  of  itself  didn't  amount  to  much, 
for  a  "dry  rancher"  never  uses  water  for  any 
purpose  except  what  little  cooking  he  is  com- 
pelled to  do. 

No  other  great  degree  of  exertion  was  de- 
manded, unless  perchance  the  rabbits  became 
scarce  or  wild,  or  something  of  that  sort.  Viewed 
conservatively,  the  "dry  ranch"  presented  many 
features  that  recommended  it,  especially  to  a 
person  in  the  writer's  condition.  It  was  a  safe 
business  so  far  as  losing  money  was  concerned, 
although  really  at  the  time,  it  was  unnecessary 
to  give  this  feature  much  consideration.  It 
moreover  appealed  to  one  most  forcibly  as  a 


164  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

peaceful,  healthful  resort  under  certain  condi- 
tions, free  from  extravagant  influences  'and  the 
annoying  inquiries  of  a  landlady. 

Away  out  on  the  "breaks"  of  Coal  Creek, 
about  twelve  miles  east  of  Denver,  a  location  was 
made  that  seemed  as  good  as  any.  A  rough 
board  "claim  shanty,"  about  eight  feet  square, 
without  any  floor,  answered  every  purpose  so  far 
as  the  claimant  was  concerned,  as  a  neighboring 
cow  camp  over  on  Coal  Creek  furnished  an  agree- 
able rendezvous  during  the  day,  while  the  nights 
were  most  commonly  spent  upon  the  ground  in 
the  open  air;  for  like  Mark  Twain's  "Claim 
Shanty,"  it  had  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
government  land  to  hold,  which  was  pretty  much 
its  full  capacity. 

Dry  ranching,  like  all  extremely  safe  enter- 
prises, where  the  possibility  of  monetary  loss  is 
largely  eliminated,  declares  small  dividends. 
The  element  chance,  however,  embraces  in  its 
catalogue  of  risks,  others  than  that  of  monetary 
loss,  and  in  the  dry  ranch  out  on  the  drainage  of 
Coal  Creek,  one  of  these  was  soon  discovered,  for 
wherein  as  a  producer  of  food  stuff  it  didn't 
amount  to  much,  as  a  preparatory  institution  for 
the  insane  asylum,  it  was  unexcelled. 

It  was  now  mid  springtime,  when  one  morn- 
ing saddling  the  bronco,  who  had  been  a  constant 
companion  (and  who  himself  at  times  upon  be- 
ing saddled,  showed  signs  of  the  mental  disturb- 
ance his  master  had  for  some  time  feared  acquir- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLITTOS.  165 

ing)  and  leaving  the  estate  and  its  stock  of  coy- 
otes, rattlesnakes  and  jack  rabbits  without  a 
caretaker,  the  journey  was  made  to  Denver  in 
search  of  a  new  undertaking. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Surveys  of  the  West 
under  Hayden  dealt  almost  exclusively  with  the 
territory  which  embraced  the  absolute  frontier, 
and  was  better  known  as  the  "Hayden  Survey." 
Armed  with  the  dignity,  privilege  and  credit  of 
the  general  government,  the  expedition  each 
summer  and  autumn  traversed  and  explored  in 
comparative  safety  and  comfort  hundreds  of 
miles  of  the  practically  unexplored  areas  occu- 
pied almost  exclusively  by  the  various  Indian 
tribes,  and  provided  the  safest  consort  to  the  sci- 
entist of  the  East,  together  with  the  sons  of  Sena- 
tors and  Congressmen  who,  longing  for  the  ad- 
venturous, romantic  and  educational  experience 
of  a  season  in  the  wilds,  eagerly  sought  a  place 
thereon.  It,  however,  became  the  writer's  for- 
tune (through  the  kindly  efforts  of  Thomas  M. 
Patterson,  of  Denver,  then  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  later  of  the  Senate)  to  secure  an  ap- 
pointment as  an  attache  of  the  survey  during  the 
campaign  of  1878. 

"Davis  Ranch/'  located  about  twelve  miles 
from  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  was  the  home  of  one 
of  the  then  existing  large  cattle  companies,  whose 
herds  roamed  at  will  from  British  Columbia  to 
Texas. 

The  work  of  the  survey  for  the  summer  of 
1878  being  the  exploration  of  comparatively  un- 


166  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

explored  portions  of  Wyoming,  Idaho  and  Mon- 
tana, this  ranch  was  chosen  as  the  point  of  con- 
centration for  men,  animals  and  supplies,  where 
all  arrangements  would  be  made,  divisions 
formed  and  plans  of  whatsoever  nature  outlined. 

Here  now  all  was  bustle,  activity  and  excite- 
ment. Down  on  a  little  flat  below  the  ranch 
buildings  glistened  a  small  army  of  tents.  The 
ground  about  them  was  strewn  with  parapher- 
nalia of  all  sorts,  while  the  members  of  the  scien- 
tific departments  busied  themselves  in  its  ar- 
rangement or  passed  about  here  and  there,  ex- 
tending their  acquaintance  with  the  new  comers. 
Many  were  veterans  upon  the  survey,  having 
served  for  years  preceding,  while  about  an  equal 
number  were  new  recruits,  obtained  from  widely 
separated  localities,  strangers  to  the  regular 
force  and  to  each  other. 

A  short  distance  away  on  the  prairie  was  be- 
ing herded  the  bunch  of  mules  which  were  to  con- 
vey the  members  of  the  expedition  and  its  sup- 
plies over  the  miles  of  desert  and  rugged  moun- 
tain ranges  during  the  lengthy  campaign  to  fol- 
low. Busied  with  the  herd  were  the  packers, 
who  were  agreeing  upon,  and  cutting  out  the  an- 
imals each  division  was  to  employ,  riding  first 
one  and  then  another  to  determine  the  very  best 
saddlers  for  their  own  use,  and  the  next  best  for 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  members  ( for  the  packer 
of  those  days  was  an  important  personage,  and 
the  Hayden  Survey  engaged  only  those  of  the 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  167 

highest  rank),  the  balance  of  the  herd  being  left 
for  pack  animals. 

Under  a  wagon  sheet  stretched  over  a  pole 
lounged  a  little  commissariat,  consisting  of  four 
colored  cooks,  who  with  the  business  man  of  the 
outfit,  reviewed  finally  the  list,  embracing  cook- 
ing utensils  and  provisions,  to  see  that  nothing 
had  been  overlooked. 

Up  at  the  ranch  headquarters  Dr.  Hayden 
himself,  surrounded  by  his  staff  of  chiefs  of  top- 
ography, geology,  mineralogy,  paleontology,  en- 
tomology and  such,  too  numerous  to  mention,  was 
arranging  finally  the  lesser  details  of  the  cam- 
paign, and  assigning  to  the  different  depart- 
ments the  new  comers  and  subordinates,  of 
whom  the  writer  was  one,  and  who,  upon  final 
adjustment  of  matters,  found  himself  assigned  to 
duty  as  assistant  to  Major  Fred  A.  Clark,  chief 
topographer. 

The  Major  was  a  man  now  approaching  mid- 
dle age  and  had  spent  many  years  upon  the  sur- 
vey under  Hayden,  Wheeler  and  Powell.  He 
was  rather  slight  in  build,  though  decidedly 
erect.  He  wore  a  dark  moustache  and  beard  of 
medium  length.  The  beard  was  parted  in  the 
middle,  after  the  style  of  a  German  field  mar- 
shal, and  brushed  so  abruptly  apart  that  each 
particular  hair  occupied  a  position  at  absolutely 
right  angles  to  its  line  of  natural  growth.  In 
fact,  the  Major  was  noticeably  a  la  militaire  in 
all  his  movements  and  appearance,  and  as  it  de- 
veloped later,  in  his  system  of  operations  also. 


168  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Approaching  with  a  pleasant  smile,  one  of 
those  peculiar  blendings  of  smile  and  manner,  at- 
tended by  few  remarks  (which  arouses  in  one 
the  suspicion  that  the  combination  is  sort  of  a 
specific  and  not  to  be  employed  generally)  while 
he  accompanied  the  whole  with  cursory,  wander- 
ing glances  of  inquiry ;  not  that  he  had  met  with 
anything  particularly  new,  but  more  to  deter- 
mine superficially  in  what  particular,  if  any, 
the  party  differed  from  the  multitude  of  similar 
subjects  he  had  in  former  campaigns,  and  for 
like  purposes,  fallen  heir  to.  Finally,  introduc- 
ing Mr.  Erastus  St.  John,  the  geologist  of  his 
party,  he  turned  away,  apparently  having  de- 
tected nothing  of  a  nature  to  interest  him 
further. 

Mr.  St.  John  smoked  a  pipe  continuously, 
save  and  except  such  time  as  he  was  either  eating 
or  sleeping ;  if  perchance  he  was  at  any  other  time 
found  neglecting  this  indulgence  of  his  habit,  it 
was  safely  attributable  to  one  of  two  causes,  he 
was  either  out  of  health  or  out  of  tobacco.  He 
was  tall,  angular,  slightly  stooped  and  wore  leg- 
gins  and  glasses,  as  every  well  appointed  geolo- 
gist should.  He  wore  a  moustache  and  heavy 
goatee,  which,  though  his  manner  failed  in  that 
direction,  imparted  to  his  personal  appearance  a 
decidedly  "Frenchy"  contour,  not  of  the  social 
type,  but  that  of  the  savant.  His  manner  was 
genial,  open,  frank  and  unguarded,  while  he 
differed  widely  from  the  Major  in  that  in  the 
writer  he  seemed  to  have  discovered  something 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  169 

really  worthy  the  manifestation  of  some  little 
undisguised  interest,  which  no  doubt  arose 
largely  from  fellow  feeling,  for  he,  too,  though 
a  man  of  middle  age  and  possessed  of  some  expe- 
rience as  a  geologist,  was  also  a  stranger  upon  the 
survey. 

The  mineralogist,  Mr.  Nelson  Perry,  con- 
cluded the  list  of  scientists  in  our  party.  Perry 
was  a  young  man,  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
who  had  but  recently  completed  his  college 
course,  and  whose  absolute  inexperience  in  camp 
life,  especially  upon  the  frontier,  placed  him  in 
pretty  closely  the  same  proportionate  scale  to  the 
writer  that  he  occupied  in  connection  with  the 
Major.  And  now  having  carefully  noted  the 
Major's  air  of  experience,  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
find  amongst  our  number  one  upon  whom  an  im- 
itation of  his  manner  could  be  practiced  without 
fear  of  detection. 

George  and  Mac,  the  packers,  and  Henry,  the 
colored  cook,  alone  remained  to  complete  the 
members  of  our  division. 

The  fullest  details  having  been  arranged,  the 
day  finally  came  for  the  entire  caravan  to  move. 
To  save  time  in  the  long  journey  overland  to 
reach  the  field  of  operation,  the  entire  force  and 
equipment  was  shipped  westward  from  Chey- 
enne by  rail,  two  of  the  divisions  disembark- 
ing at  Point  of  Rocks,  while  ours,  together  with 
the  fourth  or  remaining  one,  continued  on  to 
Granger,  now  the  junction  of  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  Railway.  Here  unloading  the  mules  and 


170  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

equipment,  camp  was  established  a  short  dis- 
tance westerly  from  the  station  and  on  the  stream 
known  as  "Ham's  Fork."  Only  sufficient  time 
was  spent  at  this  point  to  arrange  the  supplies 
and  general  belongings,  into  suitable  and  easily 
accessible  packs,  settle  finally  the  selection  of  our 
respective  saddle  mules,  and  close  up  our  corre- 
spondence for  the  summer. 

For  years  the  pack  trains  of  the  Hayden  Sur- 
vey had  been  regarded  as  the  finest  equipped  and 
best  operated  of  any  in  the  United  States.  They 
were  copied  from  the  Spanish  absolutely,  even 
to  the  small  Mexican  mules  bred  especially  for 
this  service ;  while  no  expense  was  spared  in  se- 
curing the  best  of  everything  pertaining  to  the 
equipment  and  its  operation. 

The  Spanish  had  no  equals  in  this  system 
of  transportation,  and  through  it  were,  in  trav- 
ersing the  unexplored  and  impenetrable  landed 
areas  of  great  portions  of  the  earth,  what  Eng- 
land may  at  any  time  have  been  upon  the  sea ; 
hence  a  somewhat  detailed  description  of  the 
appointment  and  operation  of  one  of  these  trains, 
may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader. 

For  shelter  there  is  provided  a  little  "A" 
tent,  which  when  set  up  occupies  a  space  of  about 
six  by  seven  feet.  They  are  intended  for  indi- 
vidual occupancy,  but  accommodate  two  persons 
with  comfort.  They  are  provided  with  end 
poles,  jointed  in  the  center,  and  held  together 
with  sockets  of  gas  pipe.  Each  of  these  sections 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  171 

are  about  three  feet  in  length,  and  when  united 
give  the  ridge  of  the  tent  an  elevation  of  about 
six  feet.  A  half  inch  rope  sewn  into  and  along 
this  ridge  with  ends  extending  from  each  termi- 
nus a  length  of  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  serve  as 
fore  and  aft  guys,  which  with  the  facilities  for 
staking  around  the  borders  of  the  tent,  give  the 
shelter  when  erected  a  fairly  strong  support, 
the  object  in  joining  the  end  poles  being  conven- 
ience in  packing.  When  un jointed  and  rolled 
up  inside  the  tent,  and  the  whole  lashed  firmly 
with  the  two  end  guys  referred  to,  the  package  or 
bundle  thus  formed  becomes  of  most  desirable 
size  and  shape  for  such  purpose.  To  one  inex- 
perienced it  is  quite  astonishing  the  awkward 
and  ill-shaped  articles,  which  with  proper  con- 
veniences and  skill  on  the  part  of  the  packer, 
may  be  conveyed  over  the  roughest  and  most  ir- 
regular ground  on  the  back  of  an  animal.  And 
one  of  the  greatest  conveniences  referred  to  is  a 
sufficiency  of  desirable  packages,  such  as  blan- 
kets properly  prepared,  or  the  tents  alluded  to, 
that  the  less  convenient  articles  may  find  proper 
seats  or  nests,  and  over  all  of  which  the  "lash 
rope"  may  bind  and  cling  tightly.  The  saddle 
used  is  what  is  known  as  the  "Aparejo."  This 
is  simply  a  large  leathern  affair,  somewhat  re- 
sembling a  pair  of  huge  saddle  bags,  rectangular 
in  shape  when  flattened  out,  having  a  width  of 
about  two  feet,  and  a  length  of  some  four  or  five 
feet.  On  the  inner  side,  and  reaching  from 
either  end  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the  center 


172  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

are  two  large  pockets.  Into  these  are  first  in- 
serted a  framework  of  willow  sticks  cut  to  the 
proper  length  and  placed  vertically.  This  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  to  that  portion  covered  by 
the  pocket  a  certain  degree  of  stability,  or  stiff- 
ness, at  the  same  time  embodying  flexibility. 
Then  the  space  between  the  framework  of  willow 
and  the  inner  side  of  the  pocket  may  be  packed  or 
padded  with  hay  or  dried  grasses  of  any  sort 
convenient  to  obtain.  This  padding  may  at 
will,  be  removed  at  one  point  and  added  to  at 
another  as  the  occasion  may  demand,  that  the 
bearing  points  may  be  made  to  fit  any  beast  of 
burden  whatsoever  to  which  it  may  be  applied. 
When  prepared  it  is  thrown  across  the  animal's 
back  (over  a  proper  arrangement  of  saddle  blan- 
kets), the  padded  portions  hanging  down  on 
either  side.  A  broad  "cinch"  is  then  thrown 
over  the  whole,  passed  under  the  animal's  body 
and  tightened.  As  the  tightening  proceeds,  the 
stiffened  and  padded  pockets  are  pressed  to  the 
beast's  sides,  while  the  central  or  unpadded  sec- 
tion, acting  as  a  hinge,  is  forced  upward,  and 
so  entirely  clear  of  the  spine  that  the  arm  may 
be  passed  freely  along  the  vertebrae,  and  beneath 
the  roof  formed  by  the  apex  of  the  saddle ;  thus 
as  may  be  seen,  the  load  in  place  of  resting  flat 
upon  the  back,  is  carried  wholly  upon  the  ani- 
mal's sides.  A  breast  collar  and  breeching  at- 
tached prevents  movement  either  forward  or 
backward.  A  "sling"  rope  is  then  thrown  over 
the  aparejo,  the  side  packs  placed  in  position, 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  173 

and  the  ends  of  the  rope  fastened  at  a  point 
which  will  carry  the  packs  high  or  low,  as  may 
be  desired.  The  side  packs  in  place,  the  burden 
is  broadened,  and  a  platform  or  surface  created, 
upon  which  the  "top"  packs  may  rest.  These 
placed  in  their  proper  position,  a  "manta," 
which  is  simply  a  piece  of  hydraulic  canvas  of 
the  proper  size,  is  placed  to  cover  the  entire 
cargo.  The  "lash"  rope  is  then  thrown  and 
drawn  tight,  binding  the  whole  firmly.  The 
animal  may  now  be  driven  all  day  in  a  continu- 
ous rainstorm,  and  when  camp  is  reached  at 
night,  the  cargo  will  be  found  as  free  from  mois- 
ture as  though  transported  in  a  Pullman  car. 

The  matter  of  adjusting  and  fastening  the 
lash  rope  differs  materially  from  the  familiar 
and  commonplace  method  known  as  the  "squaw 
hitch,"  and  involves  a  scientific  and  ingenious 
principle.  It  is  known  as  the  "diamond  hitch," 
and  any  packer  ignorant  of  it,  or  in  fact  un- 
skilled in  its  application,  could  not  hope  for  rec- 
ognition in  the  upper  circles  of  packers.  The 
conveniences  of  this  hitch  are  as  follows: 
First,  like  all  lash  ropes,  this  has  attached  to 
one  end  a  cinch,  in  the  end  of  which  is  a  hook, 
commonly  of  iron,  though  amongst  the  more 
skillful  and  fastidious  it  is  of  wood,  preferably 
the  forks  of  a  branch  or  root  about  one  inch  in 
diameter  and  of  some  tough,  strong  shrub.  This 
hook  of  wood  is  preferred  from  the  fact  that  it 
presents  so  great  a  bearing  for  the  lash  rope,  with 


174  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

the  least  possible  weight,  and  becoming  polished, 
permits  the  rope  to  slip  freely  in  taking  up  slack. 
In  applying  the  hitch,  the  boss  packer  stands 
at  the  near  side  of  the  mule,  and  is  commonly  re- 
ferred to  as  the  anear  packer,"  the  assistant 
packer,  occupying  a  position  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  animal,  is  referred  to  as  the  "off  packer.'' 
With  the  lash  rope  coiled  in  his  left  hand  (save 
a  few  feet  of  the  end  to  which  is  attached  the 
cinch),  the  "near  packer"  swings  the  cinch  un- 
der the  animal's  body,  when  it  is  caught  by  the 
"off  packer."  He  then  further  throws  the  coil 
diagonally  across  the  top  of  the  pack  from  the 
animal's  left  shoulder  to  the  right  hip,  or  the 
process  may  be  reversed,  and  it  be  thrown  from 
the  left  hip  to  the  right  shoulder.  A  loop  is  then 
passed  over  the  top  of  the  pack,  which  is  received 
ly  the  "off  packer,"  and  caught  into  the  cinch 
hook  described.  He  then  places  his  knee  against 
the  animal's  side  and  cinches  or  draws  the  rope 
through  the  hook  with  all  possible  tightness,  the 
slack  being  taken  up  by  the  "near  packer,"  who 
then  passes  the  slack  rope  around  one  end  and 
underneath  the  side  pack,  when,  stepping  to  the 
animal's  hip,  he  places  one  foot  against  the  end 
of  the  pack,  and  draws  the  rope  tightly;  then 
holding  it  in  place  the  "off  packer"  draws  it 
lightly  from  the  opposite  side,  then  passes  it 
down  around  one  end  of  the  "off"  side  pack,  and 
along  underneath,  where  he  again  draws  or 
cinches  the  rope,  then  up  and  over  the  other  end, 
where  it  is  cinched  again,  and  finally  by  the 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  175 

"near  packer/'  who  then  makes  the  end  fast  by 
simply  and  quickly  drawing  it  underneath  the 
binding  ropes.  The  advantages  of  this  hitch  are, 
first,  there  is  no  tugging  and  straining  to  tuck 
the  end  of  the  rope  under  a  portion  already 
drawn  and  pressing  tightly  upon  the  pack,  the 
rope  being  so  placed  upon  the  pack  to  commence 
that  this  is  unnecessary.  Next,  in  shifting,  or 
tightening  the  pack,  it  is  only  necessary  to  let 
loose  the  proper  amount  of  slack  and  re-cinch 
without  displacing  or  disturbing  anything. 
Again,  when  about  to  unpack,  there  is  no  untie- 
ing of  knots  or  pulling  or  hauling  of  ropes.  The 
slack  is  again  simply  let  loose  to  an  extent  in 
which  the  "off  packer"  is  enabled  to  remove  the 
hook  from  the  loop,  when  the  whole  network  of 
lashing  is  made  free,  and  lifted  off  without 
further  operation,  and  with  no  entanglement  of 
the  ropes,  save  a  single  loose  knot. 

As  stated,  the  most  desirable  animal  also  for 
ps eking  purposes  is  the  Spanish  mule,  or  a  mule 
of  like  dimensions,  weighing  from  700  to  800 
pounds.  They  are  sure-footed,  strong  and  good 
travelers.  Many  of  them  are  also  excellent  sad- 
dlers, especially  upon  long  journeys  over  rough 
and  uneven  ground.  They  are  very  intelligent, 
and  after  short  service  become  extremely  cun- 
ning in  avoiding  the  duties  required.  An  oper- 
ation most  distasteful  to  them  is  that  of  cinching 
the  saddle  or  aparejo,  which  occurs  most  com- 
monly of  course  in  breaking  camp  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  while  their  stomachs  are  filled  from  a 
12 


176  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

night  of  grazing.  As  the  regular  hour  approaches 
for  saddling  up,  many  of  them  will  steal  away 
and  hide  behind  some  neighboring  rock  or  chimp 
of  bushes.  As  preparations  are  made  for  cinch- 
ing, they  will  watch  cautiously,  and  simultane- 
ously with  the  first  tug  at  the  cinch  will  bcw 
their  sides  in  the  direction  of  the  operator,  at 
the  same  time  inhaling  to  their  fullest  extent. 
An  old  mule  who  has  become  really  scientific  in 
this  respect  will  keep  an  inexperienced  packer 
busy  cinching  and  re-cinching  for  two  hours  be- 
fore he  is  ready  to  start,  and  then  only  to  find 
that  the  operation  must  be  repeated  in  the  first 
half  mile  after  leaving  camp.  The  only  man- 
ner in  which  to  thwart  their  purpose  and  prop- 
erly complete  the  task,  is  either  to  wait  for  a 
few  moments  until  the  mule  is  off  guard,  and 
then  quickly  gather  in  the  slack,  or  through  the 
"off  packer,"  turning  him  suddenly  to  the  left 
during  which  his  attitude  of  resistance  is  de- 
stroyed. Each  mule  wears  a  halter,  the  stale 
of  which  is  caught  up  in  the  ropes  of  the  pack. 
Accompanying  each  train  of  mules  is  a  horse  of 
some  description,  color  preferably  white  or  gray, 
wearing  a  cow  bell  about  the  neck,  and  commonly 
called  the  "bell  mare."  The  mules  will  follow 
this  animal  as  a  colt  follows  its  mother,  and  in 
case  of  peril  or  distress  on  its  part,  will  manifest 
the  anguish  of  a  child  over  its  parent. 

When  turned  loose  to  graze,  only  the  "bell 
mare"  requires  to  be  hobbled  or  picketed,  thus 
giving  the  mules  entire  freedom  in  searching  for 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  177 

food,  while  to  stampede  them,  or  ride  or  drive 
one  away,  is  next  to  impossible. 

The  movements  of  a  pack  train,  and  especi- 
ally that  of  the  Hayden  Survey  were  as  follows : 
The  cook  and  packers  were  first  to  arise  in  the 
morning,  the  balance  of  the  party  may  arise  at 
any  time,  early  enough,  however,  wherein  to 
prepare  their  belongings  in  proper  bundles  for 
packing,  that  no  delay  may  be  occasioned,  while 
later  each  saddles  his  own  riding  animal.  While 
the  cook  proceeds  with  breakfast,  the  packers 
gather  up  the  mules  and  bringing  them  into 
camp,  a  halter  is  placed  on  each,  and  they  are 
hitehed  in  a  row  to  a  rope  stretched  upon  the 
ground,  and  fastened  at  each  end  to  a  strong  hub 
or  stake,  when  operations  are  continued  in  plac- 
ing the  aparejos  upon  their  backs,  and  other- 
wise preparing  them  to  receive  their  loads.  This 
completed,  breakfast  is  waiting,  which  finished, 
packing  commences  at  a  lively  rate,  the  "kitch- 
en mule,"  or  that  one  carrying  the  kitchen  uten- 
sils, being  left  until  the  last,  that  the  cook  may 
have  sufficient  time  in  which  to  wash  the  dishes 
and  otherwise  prepare  the  outfit.  The  kitchen 
outfit  is  ingeniously  and  compactly  arranged  for 
packing  in  two  boxes  of  the  following  dimen- 
sions, approximately:  width,  14  inches;  height, 
18  inches,  and  length,  28  inches,  forming  ex- 
cellent side  packs.  Each  of  these  boxes  is  pro- 
vided with  a  false  top  resting  on  cleats,  also 
double  covers  or  lids  hinged  together  and  to  the 


178  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

box.  They  may  now  be  converted  into  a  dining 
table  seven  feet  in  length,  28  inches  in  width  and 
18  inches  in  height,  by  simply  placing  the  boxes 
a  sufficient  distance  apart,  in  which  the  folding 
lids,  when  opened  and  extended  horizontally, 
will  just  meet.  The  kitchen  mule  packed,  all  is 
in  readiness  and  the  march  begins  in  the  fol- 
lowing order: 

The  "near  packer"  leads  the  way,  unless  per- 
haps the  party  may  have  a  professional  guide; 
next  follows  the  cook,  riding  the  bell  mare, 
and  followed  closely  by  the  train  of  pack  mules 
in  single  file.  Behind  these  rides  the  "off 
packer,"  whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  the  line  of 
packs  and  in  case  one  is  discovered  as  being 
loose,  getting  to  one  side,  or  for  any  reason  not 
riding  properly,  to  call  the  name  of  the  mule  to 
the  packer  in  the  lead,  who  riding  to  one  side  of 
the  train,  dismounts  and  upon  the  approach  of 
the  mule  in  question,  leads  it  to  one  side  and 
drops  a  leathern  blind  over  its  eyes.  In  the 
meantime  the  rear  packer  has  galloped  ahead  to 
the  spot,  and  dismounting,  the  pack  is  quickly 
adjusted,  the  lash  rope  re-tightened,  when  re- 
moving the  blind  from  the  mule's  eyes,  it  starts 
rapidly  forward  and  assumes  a  rear  position  in 
the  train,  while  the  packers  remounting  quickly 
resume  their  original  places.  During  all  this 
no  delay  has  been  occasioned,  the  movements  of 
the  train  not  having  been  disturbed  in  any  man- 
ner. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  179 

The  members  of  the  party,  aside  from  those 
mentioned,  ride  in  such  order  as  they  choose. 

Upon  going  into  camp  the  packers  dismount, 
and  without  waiting  to  unsaddle,  simply  throw 
their  bridle  reins  upon  the  ground  (in  which 
condition  the  animal  will  usually  remain  stand- 
ing), and  now,  first  unpack  the  kitchen  mule, 
that  the  cook  may  not  be  detained  in  preparing 
the  meal.  The  loads  are  all  finally  removed, 
then  in  their  turn  the  aparejos,  when  the  riding 
animals  being  unsaddled,  the  whole  are  turned 
loose  to  graze  under  the  guidance  of  their  chap- 
eron, the  bell  mare. 

The  packers  now  set  to  work  with  rigid  dis- 
cipline in  the  adjustment  of  the  packing  para- 
phernalia. The  aparejos  are  set  up  in  line  like 
little  "A"  tents  minus  their  ends,  under  each  of 
which  is  placed  the  lash  and  sling  ropes  neatly 
coiled  together  with  the  halter  of  the  respective 
mule.  The  canvas  mante  is  then  turned  over, 
all  in  which  condition  complete  protection  is 
furnished  from  storms.  The  cook  meantime  is 
busily  engaged  with  the  meal,  while  the  balance 
of  the  party  occupy  their  time  in  pitching  their 
tents  and  spreading  their  blankets  upon  bushes 
to  air. 

With  the  provisions  described  for  journey- 
ing through  an  uninhabited  land  abounding  with 
wood,  water,  grass,  game  and  fish,  no  method 
has  ever  yet  been  devised  which  approaches  it 
from  the  standpoint  of  independence,  exhilara- 
tion and  comfort.  Even  in  case  of  sickness  or 


180  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

injury  to  a  member  of  the  party,  the  patient  may 
be  transported  upon  a  stretcher  carried  between 
two  well-disposed  mules,  with  quite  the  gentle- 
ness and  comfort  of  more  modern  methods. 
While  the  vision  feasts  upon  no  more  pictur- 
esque or  poetic  panorama  than  that  of  a  long 
line  of  sleek  pack  mules  strung  out  in  single  file 
as  they  wend  their  way  through  park  and  wood- 
land, then  upward  and  along  the  precipitous 
faces  of  rugged  mountains,  into  deep  shadows, 
and  out  again  into  bright  flashes  of  sunlight, 
with  brilliant  reflections  from  the  glossy  coat  of 
the  animal,  and  the  white  mante  which  covers 
the  burden  so  jauntily  borne.  While  seen  from 
a  distance,  and  with  some  imagination,  their 
long  ears  fixed  at  different  angles,  they  appear 
like  a  line  of  giant  jack  rabbits,  with  white 
bodies  and  dark  colored  extremities. 

With  well  operated  trains  it  is  customary  to 
make  but  one  drive  during  the  day,  leaving 
camp  ordinarily  about  eight  in  the  morning,  and 
traveling  until  about  2  :00  p.  m.,  when  camp  is 
pitched  and  the  day's  march  ended.  By  this  sys- 
tem it  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  greatest 
service  can  be  derived,  and  the  greatest  distance 
covered  during  a  season,  the  continued  practice 
of  unpacking  and  repacking  at  noon  exerting  a 
far  more  damaging  effect  upon  the  stock  than  a 
rapid  single  drive  of  less  hours,  yet  nearly  equal 
distance. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Everything  in  readiness  at  the  camp  on 
Ham's  Fork,  the  long  line  of  pack  animals 
stretched  out  in  single  file,  began  their  march 
toward  the  far  distant  and  unfrequented  lands 
of  the  North.  Straight  away  over  the  bleak, 
barren  hills  their  course  was  shaped  about  north- 
east to  strike  the  valley  of  the  Green  River, 
whose  nearest  point  was  some  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant, thence  by  easy  stages  up  and  along  the  val- 
ley of  this  stream  during  the  first  few  days,  from 
the  fact  that  the  loads  were  now  heavy  and  the 
mules  not  yet  hardened  to  the  service  after  their 
long  term  of  idleness  upon  the  range  following 
the  close  of  the  campaign  of  the  year  previous. 

The  total  eclipse  of  July  29,  1878,  was  near 
at  hand,  and  the  caravan  was  hastening  to  reach 
a  point  along  the  route,  well  within  the  line  of 
totality.  This  would  occur  but  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead,  and  in  about  longitude  33  degrees 
west,  latitude  42  degrees  and  30  minutes  north. 
On  the  day  of  its  occurrence  camp  was  pitched  at 
about  11 :00  a.  m.  on  a  small  stream  known  as 
Piney  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Green  River. 
A  hasty  dinner  prepared  and  eaten,  full  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  an  observance  of  the  plan- 
etary phenomenon  to  follow.  Scarce  had  the  last 
detail  been  arranged,  when  the  bright  sunshine 


182  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

melted  away  into  a  sickly  subdued  light,  which 
gradually  increasing  its  intensity,  assumed 
an  orange  hue,  while  lights  and  shadows  with 
blendings  of  green  and  yellow  settled  upon  the 
hilltops  and  spread  far  away  down  into  the  val- 
leys, clothing  the  entire  landscape  in  a  mantle  of 
serpentine  hues  appalling  to  behold,  and  as  start- 
ling to  the  senses  as  the  skin  of  the  Gila  mon- 
ster. The  mules  grazing  about  the  camp  lifted 
their  heads  and  gazed  at  each  other  with  suspic- 
ion, and  in  mute  inquiry.  Then  seemingly  con- 
vinced that  it  was  a  manifestation  in  which  no 
member  of  their  band  had  any  part,  they  scanned 
the  horizon  carefully,  then  drifted  about  the 
bell  mare,  where  they  huddled  closely  for  pro- 
tection or  further  information.  Gradually  the 
bright  hues  of  mottled  light  faded  away  and 
blended  themselves  into  utter  darkness.  The 
mules  slightly  separated,  and  one  after  another 
laid  down  upon  the  ground,  until  nearly  all  were 
at  rest.  The  darkness  continued  for  some  time, 
when  the  process  which  led  up  to  its  occurrence 
recommenced  in  reverse  order,  passing  through 
all  the  changes,  until  finally  the  sun  again  burst 
forth  in  all  its  glory.  The  mules  gradually 
arose,  assumed  their  first  glances  of  suspicion  at 
each  other,  discovered  nothing,  then  looked 
briefly  elsewhere  for  some  solution  with  like  re- 
sult; the  bell  mare  seeming  wholly  unable  to 
explain  the  matter,  they  finally  abandoned  fur- 
ther investigation  and  resumed  grazing. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  183 

The  work  of  this  division  of  the  Survey  was 
to  commence  in  the  immediate  locality,  while 
that  of  the  division  accompanying  was  laid  in 
and  about  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
Hence  from  here  the  paths  led  in  different  direc- 
tions; they,  continuing  the  journey  northward, 
while  we  moved  westward  up  Piney  Creek  to  its 
head  in  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Wyoming 
mountains,  and  occupied  Wyoming  Peak  as  the 
first  topographical  station.  It  was  wholly  from 
such  commanding  elevations  as  this  that  the  top- 
ographical work  was  done.  The  same  stations 
having  been  previously  occupied  as  triangula- 
tion  stations  through  which  a  network  of  meas- 
urements had  been  accomplished  covering  the  en- 
tire country,  and  connecting  all  prominent 
points.  With  this  completed,  the  topographical 
work  followed,  and  from  these  greater  elevations 
first  sketched  the  entire  field  as  bounded  by  the 
horizon,  showing  the  main  drainage  and  water 
sheds,  local  divides  and  prominent  features  of 
whatsoever  nature.  Then  to  the  heads  and 
mouths  of  streams,  to  mountain  peaks  and  points 
of  ridges  or  divides,  courses  were  read  and  re- 
corded. Again  they  were  observed  from  other 
stations,  when  the  coincidence  of  the  lines  lo- 
cated the  features  sought  with  accuracy.  Ele- 
vations at  all  points  desired  were  obtained  by 
barometric  measurement.  Thus  it  may  be  seen 
how  with  comparatively  little  time  and  expense, 
the  features  of  a  great  and  unknown  area  may 
be  set  forth  with  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy,  with- 


184  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

out  the  use  of  either  chain  or  steel  tape  in  the 
measurement  of  distance  or  the  engineer's  level 
with  which  to  determine  elevations.  In  com- 
mencing the  system  of  measurements  by  triangu- 
lation  over  any  given  area,  a  base  line  is  first 
located  with  accuracy,  and  its  length  then  meas- 
ured with  still  greater  accuracy,  for  the  error 
arising  from  its  location  is  only  constant,  while 
that  arising  from  an  incorrect  measurement  of 
its  length  is  augmentive. 

For  operations  covering  great  areas  of  many 
thousand  square  miles,  a  base  of  not  less  than 
ten  miles  in  length  is  usually  employed,  the 
longer,  of  course,  the  more  correct  the  results 
which  emanate  from  it,  in  that  the  distant  angle 
may  not  be  rendered  too  small  and  indefinite. 
Coupled  with  this  great  length  of  line,  must  of 
necessity  be  a  knowledge  of  the  absolute  correct- 
ness of  that  length.  For  as  will  be  readily  un- 
derstood, whatever  error  exists  in  this  direction 
will  be  conveyed  to  the  operations  based  upon  it 
in  such  proportion  as  their  distance  is  extended. 
The  measurement  of  this  line  is  usually  made 
with  compensating  rods ;  the  expansion  and  con- 
traction of  a  steel  tape  being  too  great  for  the 
accuracy  required. 

While  the  Major  and  his  assistant  were  en- 
gaged at  the  different  stations  far  up  on  the  high- 
est peaks,  Mr.  St.  John,  the  geologist,  and  Mr. 
Perry,  the  mineralogist,  scoured  the  lower  coun- 
try roundabout,  in  determination  of  the  geolog- 
ical structure,  and  its  evidence  of  mineral  re- 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  185 

source.  Aside  from  the  rock  formations  and 
the  minerals  embraced,  they  also  in  the  absence 
of  special  talent  observed  the  general  interesting 
features  and  economic  resources  of  the  section, 
such  as  timber  and  other  vegetation,  soda,  sul- 
phur, chalybeate  and  thermal  springs ;  the  flow 
of  important  streams  and  the  character  of  sur- 
rounding soils. 

Gradually  working  northward  along  the 
western  slope  of  the  Wyoming  mountains  to  a 
point  north  of  Mt.  Lander  and  McDougal  Gap, 
the  Snake  River  presented  itself  some  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  miles  distant,  and  at  a  point  where, 
after  a  lengthy  and  sinuous  pilgrimage  of  its 
waters,  starting  from  far  away  up  in  the  Yellow- 
stone Park  as  the  overflow  from  Shoshone  Lake, 
it  flows  due  south  for  many  miles  through  the 
wildest  and  most  picturesque  of  lands,  until  at 
last  freeing  itself  in  a  degree  from  its  lateral 
barriers,  it  enters  the  northern  extremity  of  that 
yet  remote  and  unfrequented  mountain  park 
known  as  "Jackson's  Hole,"  when  as  though  ex- 
hausted from  its  struggle  in  battling  for  a  path- 
way through  the  broken  country  traversed,  it 
quiets  down  for  a  time  to  rest  in  the  watery  way 
station  of  Jackson's  Lake,  then  resumes  its 
course  through  the  park  to  its  southern  extrem- 
ity, a  distance  of  some  thirty  or  forty  miles, 
when  at  last  frenzied  over  its  continuous  confine- 
ment, it  turns  sharply  and  attacking  its  moun- 
tain barrier  on  the  right,  rends  it  in  twain,  leav- 
ing what  is  now  known  as  the  Snake  River 


186  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

Range  to  the  north  and  the  Salt  River  and  Wyo- 
ming Ranges  to  the  south;  then  joyously  and 
tumultuously  rushes  westward  toward  its  parent, 
the  Pacific. 

Far  away  to  the  west,  across  the  valley  of  the 
"John  Day"  river  and  high  up  in  the  "Salt 
River  range,"  towered  a  commanding  peak  which 
the  Major  determined  to  occupy.  Late  that 
night  he  made  drainage  sketches  in  the  sand  and 
ashes  about  the  camp  fire  to  fully  inform  the 
boss  packer  of  his  march  upon  the  following  day, 
and  the  exact  point  some  fifteen  miles  distant 
where  camp  should  be  established  and  where  it 
might  be  found  at  nightfall  after  a  lengthy  de- 
tour via  of  the  distant  peak  across  the  valley  to 
the  west,  and  whose  brow  alone  was  the  follow- 
ing morning  illumined  with  a  "Rembrandt  light- 
ning" of  the  sun's  rays  when  the  Major  and  the 
writer,  saddling  our  mules,  with  an  extra 
blanket  tied  behind  each  saddle,  a  couple  of  bis- 
cuits each  in  our  pockets,  the  gradientor  slung  to 
his  back,  and  the  "Cistern"  barometer  to  my 
own,  rode  rapidly  down  the  slope  and  out 
across  the  valley  of  the  John  Day. 

High  up  in  the  magnificent  forest  which 
clothed  the  mountain  side,  a  noble  buck  crossed 
the  pathway;  then,  in  his  inexperience,  turned 
for  a  moment  to  watch  our  approach.  The  Major 
raised  his  rifle,  fired  and  killed  him.  Dismount- 
ing, the  carcass  was  dressed  and  the  saddles 
slung  to  a  convenient  limb. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  187 

Near  the  close  of  work  on  the  mountain 
top  a  feeling  of  illness  possessed  the  writerv 
Hurrying  down  the  mountain,  the  illness  in- 
creased, until  reaching  the  river,  unable  to  sit 
in  the  saddle  longer,  a  hasty  camp  was  made 
upon  its  bank. 

The  shades  of  night  were  gathering  deep 
in  the  valley  when  the  Major,  abandoning  his 
efforts  as  nurse  and  leaving  both  blankets  for 
hospital  use,  hurried  away  with  the  mules  in 
search  of  camp  and  further  relief. 

Dragging  the  blankets  and  rifle  into  a  dense 
portion  of  the  thicket  bordering  the  river  bank, 
slumber  soon  ensued.  Later,  when  startled  into 
consciousness  by  the  piercing  howl  of  a  timber 
wolf  not  a  dozen  paces  distant,  all  was  darkness, 
and  no  form  was  visible  save  the  dark  outline 
of  the  mountain  range  on  either  side  of  the 
valley  as  they  appeared  in  profile  against  the 
sky.  I  staggered  to  my  feet,  but  fell  again.  An 
intense  illness  seemed  to  possess  every  part, 
while  a  raging  fever  accompanied  the  whole; 
and,  shuddering  in  helplessness  as  the  purpose  of 
the  wolf  in  calling  its  companious  was  divined, 
sought  to  disabuse  its  mind  of  the  belief  formed 
through  its  natural  instincts  of  inability  for 
self-protection  by  raising  the  rifle  and  firing  a 
shot  in  its  direction.  A  rustling  of  the  underbrush 
followed  as  he  glided  stealthily  and  rapidly 
away.  Then  from  a  distance  he  howled  again, 
probably  countermanding  the  first  signal.  Crawl- 
ing down  to  the  edge  of  the  stream,  I  drank,  and 


188  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

remaining  for  a  time  before  returning  to  the 
brush,  the  great  full  harvest  moon  to  the  south 
appeared  resting  the  lower  portion  of  its  rim 
upon  the  backbone  of  an  outlying  and  naked 
spur  of  the  range.  Sitting  there,  bathed  in  its 
soft,  soothing,  mellow  light,  the  sight  fixed  upon 
the  monstrous  glowing  orb,  there  suddenly  trot* 
ted  down  the  ridge  and  into  the  field  of  its  great 
circle  of  light,  a  noble  elk,  who,  halting  for  an 
instant  at  the  proper  point,  the  distance  being 
such  his  entire  form,  including  the  majestic 
antlers,  appeared  silhouetted  upon  the  bright 
shining  surface  of  the  great  golden  disk.  For 
an  instant  he  stood  there,  tossed  his  head 
haughtily,  and,  passing  on  into  the  darkness 
which  surrounded  the  outer  rim  on  the  one 
side,  there  suddenly  emerged  from  the  darkness 
which  surrounded  it  on  the  other,  and  passed 
in  panorama  before  the  golden  mirror  (where 
he  had  recently  paused  to  be  admired)  the 
entire  band  of  which  he  was  the  leader. 

Now  a  violent  crashing  in  the  brush,  but 
a  short  distance  away,  accompanied  by  snorts 
and  grunts,  made  known  the  presence  of  a  bear. 
Again  too  weak  to  raise  the  rifle,  it  was  drawn 
across  the  knee,  and  pointing  the  muzzle  in  the 
direction  of  the  sounds,  fired  again.  Another 
snort,  and  a  crashing  of  the  brush  through  which 
his  line  of  retreat  was  marked  for  some  distance, 
until  finally  the  sounds  were  lost,  together  with 
all  further  recollection.  Passing  into  a  stupor, 
disturbed  by  distressing  dreams  of  fearful 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  189 

sights  and  harrowing  soiinds,  there  came  at  last 
a  far-away  plaintive  cry,  now  approaching  and 
becoming  plainer,  then  receding  until  almost 
lost,  to  which  all  other  fancies  gave  place,  and 
which  to  an  unconscious  mind  seemed  to  con- 
tinue for  an  endless  time.  Finally,  a  growing 
warmth,  coupled  with  strangulation  and  violent 
contortions,  brought  partial  consciousness,  as, 
opening  my  eyes,  I  gazed  about  in  the  bright 
sunlight,  and  sought  vainly  for  a  time  to  identify 
the  scene.  There  was  a  most  vivid  impression  of 
being  lifted  and  tugged  about,  associated  with 
a  faint  recollection  of  the  wolf  and  bear.  Then 
voices  about  dispelled  the  thought;  the  faint 
outline  of  reality  began  to  appear,  and  I  gazed 
upward  into  the  face  of  George,  the  packer, 
upon  whose  knee  my  head  was  resting.  It  was 
but  an  outline  yet,  and  dim  at  that.  The  face 
was  seen,  it  was  familiar,  but  could  not  be  re- 
called. His  language  was  plain  to  be  heard,  but 
its  meaning  could  not  be  gathered.  Then  another 
voice  attracted  attention,  a  hand  inserted  some- 
thing between  the  lips,  and,  as  the  strong  Scotch 
whiskey  trickled  down  the  throat,  a  burst  of 
strangulation  brought  further  awakening,  and  I 
looked  understandingly  into  the  face  of  Mac, 
the  remaining  packer.  Little  by  little  con- 
sciousness returned,  and  their  remarks  became 
intelligible.  It  was  now  past  noon;  they  had 
left  camp  in  the  morning,  for  the  Major,  lost  in 
the  darkness  of  the  forest,  had  camped  all  night 
on  the  trail. 


190  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

It  was  easy  for  them,  experienced  mountain- 
eers, with  the  instructions  received  and  following 
back  upon  the  trail  of  the  two  mules,  to  find 
the  point  at  the  river ;  but  another  thing  to  locate 
in  a  forest  of  willows  and  underbrush  covering 
hundreds  of  acres,  an  inanimate  object  for 
which  they  sought.  For  hours  they  rode  through 
the  tangle  calling  loudly,  until  finally,  the  mule 
of  one,  coming  near,  bolted  and  revealed  the 
point  of  concealment. 

In  addition  to  their  saddle  animals,  they  had 
brought  an  old  ambulance  mule  who  was  a 
specialist  in  this  class  of  work,  and  had  seen 
service  along  this  line  over  hundreds  of  miles 
of  wild  western  frontier.  He  was  getting  old 
now,  and  a  slight  visual  imperfection  that  had 
always  possessed  him  had  increased.  Being 
lifted  into  the  saddle  upon  his  back,  then 
securely  fenced  in  with  great  rolls  of  blankets 
well  up  to  the  armpits,  and  the  whole  lashed 
tightly  to  the  mule,  George  struck  out,  leading 
the  way  to  camp,  while  Mac  rode  beside  where 
the  trail  would  permit  and  close  in  the  rear  when 
it  would  not,  and  hurried  forward  the  old  mule, 
who,  through  his  distorted  vision,  mistook  the 
trunks  of  trees  six  inches  in  diameter  lying 
across  the  trail  for  obstacles  six  feet  in  height, 
and  insisted  upon  jumping  them,  until  piteous 
pleadings  were  made  for  relief  in  another  camp 
by  the  trail.  Then  they  each  lied  encouragingly 
about  camp  being  just  around  the  next  point,  not 
half  a  mile  away,  smiled  sympathetically,  gave 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  191 

each  other  a  knowing  look,  and  Mac,  striking 
the  old  mule  an  extra  blow  with  his  quirt, 
he  trotted  faster  and  jumped  higher  than  ever. 
I  swore  and  threatened,  and  plead  with  them 
alternately,  then  fainted;  and  returning  to  con- 
sciousness swore  some  more,  while  Mac  plied 
the  quirt  with  renewed  vigor  about  the  old 
mule's  hindquarters  and  remarked  to  George 
in  an  undertone,  "he'll  make  it  all  right;  he's 
a  heap  better  'en  he  was." 

When,  a  few  days  later,  the  mountain  sage 
for  a  half  mile  about  camp  had  all  been  gathered 
and  boiled  and  the  writer  alone  had  drank  the 
entire  product,  the  outfit  pushed  onward  into 
Jackson's  Hole,  a  section  which  had  teemed 
with  the  wild  life  of  hunter  and  trapper  a  half 
a  century  prior,  and  made  historic  through 
Washington  Irving's  "Adventures  of  Captain 
Bonneville."  For  it  was  here  and  in  Pierre's 
Hole  to  the  westward  in  Idaho  that  the  great 
trading  camps  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
under  Fontenelle,  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany under  Capt.  William  Sublette  and  Robert 
Campbell,  together  with  the  two  organizations 
headed  by  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth  of  Boston,  and 
Captain  Bonneville  formerly  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
respectively,  made  their  main  camps  and  dealt 
out  gewgaws  and  whiskey  to  the  Indians,  and 
little  advanced  white  hunters  and  trappers,  at 
enormous  profit  and  in  exchange  for  the  valuable 
skins  of  the  fur-bearing  animals  they  had  caught. 

13 


192  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

What  scenes  were  enacted  here  where  now  all  is 
solitude !  When  near  the  close  of  a  season's  trap- 
ping, the  pack  trains  of  the  traders,  after  a  long 
and  adventurous  pilgrimage  from  the  Missouri 
River,  finally  came  to  a  halt  in  these  wild  and 
remote  mountain  fastnesses,  and  unpacking 
their  loads  of  bright  and  glittering  baubles,  there 
crowded  about  a  complete  gathering  of  these 
simple  children  of  the  forest,  red  and  white, 
male  and  female,  old  and  young,  as  visionary 
and  simple  in  their  judgment  and  as  defence- 
less in  their  own  protection  against  the  wiles 
of  trade  as  the  group  of  children  who  to-day 
gather  about  the  Christmas  tree.  And  this 
finally  intensified  through  the  power  of  rum, 
which  invariably  formed  a  portion  of  the  cargo. 

Here  in  the  depths  of  this  now  uninhabited 
region  our  party  came  upon  the  decayed  evi- 
dence of  one  of  these  winter  camps  where  dwelt 
these  beings  during  the  long  winter  and  ate  and 
slept,  and  gamboled  and  frolicked,  and  cleaned 
their  guns  and  traps,  and  prepared  their  bait 
for  the  beaver,  while  the  pack  trains  wended 
their  way  back  to  the  States  laden  with  peltries, 
to  return  again  the  following  season  with  their 
regular  load  of  bait  for  them. 

It  was  here  in  this  great  depression,  sur- 
rounded by  towering  peaks,  that  Joseph  More, 
a  young  Bostonian  of  Wyeth's  band,  Alfred  K. 
Stephens  of  St.  Louis,  a  party  named  Fox,  two 
grandsons  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  two  other 
parties,  a  total  of  seven,  having  tired  of  the 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  193 

environment  of  Pierre's  Hole,  attempted  to 
return  to  the  States,  and,  in  crossing  Jackson's 
Hole,  were  set  upon  by  a  band  of  Blackfeet 
Indians  and  More,  Fox  and  Stephens  were 
killed,  while  the  balance,  after  long  wandering 
and  much  suffering,  finally  reached  their  start- 
ing point  in  Pierre's  Hole.  Sometime  later, 
Bonneville,  in  crossing  from  his  camp  in  Green 
Kiver  Basin  to  Salmon  River  in  Idaho,  found 
the  bones  of  the  three  unfortunates  gnawed 
clean  of  flesh  by  wild  beasts,  bleached  aand  scat- 
tered amongst  the  rocks.  Gathering  them  to- 
gether, he  constructed  three  complete  skeletons 
and  caused  them  to  be  decently  interred.  Their 
resting  place  unkempt,  indefinite,  and  remote, 
yet  remains  unfrequented  and  unknown  by  even 
the  few  adventurous  spirits  who  in  recent  years 
at  intervals  invade  this  wild  domain. 

The  district  assigned  to  this  division  of  the 
survey  embraced  a  superficial  area  of  some  four 
thousand  square  miles,  and  involved  a  most 
interesting  drainage  system  covering  portions  of 
the  water-sheds  of  each,  the  Missouri,  the  Colo- 
rado and  the  Columbia  Rivers.  The  area  tribu- 
tary to  the  two  last  mentioned  streams  was  clad 
in  dense  coniferous  forests  abounding  with 
game,  while  its  waters  teemed  with  fish. 

Leaving  the  John  Day  at  some  distance 
from  its  mouth,  a  crossing  was  made  of  the  low 
divide  on  the  east  to  the  headquarters  of  a  small 
parallel  stream,  down  which  our  way  was 


194  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

wended  to  the  Snake  at  the  point  where  it  com- 
mences to  canon.  Across  the  river  the  hills 
arose  abruptly  in  grand  escarpments,  which, 
in  their  vivid  colors  of  red  and  brown,  pre- 
sented not  only  a  beautiful  example  of  mountain 
sculpture,  but  a  striking  geological  exposure  of 
the  Jurassic  and  Triassic  formations. 

A  short  distance  up  the  stream  descended, 
and  on  the  opposite  side,  were  found  the  evidence 
of  some  adventurous  spirits'  attempts  to  possess 
themselves  of  that  hypnotic  element,  gold,  lured 
as  men  still  are  by  these  remote  and  apparently 
verdant  fields.  Long  years  had  passed  since 
their  efforts  ceased,  while  wind  and  storm  and 
decay  had  meantime  vandalized  the  works  they 
had  created  until  now  there  could  barely  be 
distinguished  the  grade  line  of  a  small  canal,  its 
channel  filled,  its  banks  wasted,  and  the  whole 
overgrown  with  weeds  and  grass.  Here  beneath 
our  feet  lay  the  rotted  remains  of  a  few  pieces 
of  plank,  which  had  been  "whip  sawed"  from 
the  trunk  of  a  neighboring  tree.  There,  half 
buried  in  the  earth,  and  over  which  vegetation 
had  long  grown,  flourished  and  decayed,  was 
buried  the  blade  of  a  shovel  with  a  fragment 
of  the  handle  still  protruding  to  mark  the  spot. 
Other  evidences  still  remaining  indicated  they 
had  made  little  arrangement  for  departure,  and, 
unquestionably,  had  either  fled  before  the  wrath 
of  the  aboriginal  proprietors  or  suffered  the 
results  of  capture. 

Journeying  on  up  the  Snake  and  along  the 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  195 

line  of  "red  buds"  which,  towered  across  the 
river,  a  beautiful  cascade  fell  in  silvery  spray 
from  their  summit,  and  to  which  was  now  given 
that  not  entirely  uncommon  name  of  "Bridal 
Veil  Falls." 

Further  appeared  the  mouth  of  a  large 
stream  which  entered  the  Snake  from  the  east 
and  at  the  very  southern  extremity  of  Jackson's 
Hole.  It  was  what  is  known  as  Hoback's  river, 
a  not  only  formidable  but  historic  stream,  for 
its  shores  were  the  great  highway  of  the  fur 
companies  hereinbefore  mentioned  in  entering 
and  departing  from  the  main  camps  in  Pierre's 
and  Jackson's  Holes  on  their  pilgrimages  to  and 
from  the  east.  An  extremely  low  divide  and 
pass  separated  its  head-waters  from  Green  river 
basin.  Along  the  borders  of  this  stream  there 
were  still  discernible  here  and  there  traces  of 
these  early  trails  or  pathways. 

Some  twenty-five  miles  or  so  to  the  north, 
and  nearly  parallel  with  this,  coursed  another 
important  stream  known  as  "Gross  Yentre  riv- 
er," while  between  the  two  lay  a  rugged,  heavily 
timbered  country,  intricately  sculptured  in 
forming  the  tributaries  of  the  two  streams 
referred  to.  Through  this  wild  area  the  outfit 
moved  hither  and  thither  in  outlining  its  intri- 
cacies and  determining  its  economic  resources, 
while  the  pathway  was  literally  obstructed  by 
the  dense  flora  which  flourished  upon  the  surface 
everywhere,  and  the  varied  and  multitudinous 
fauna  which  subsisted  upon  and  dwelt  within  its 


196  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

shelter  and  protection.  The  wildness  of  the 
game  was  of  a  degree  which  rendered  it  tame  in 
the  presence  of  man,  of  whose  murderous  incli- 
nations the  present  generation  appeared  to  pos- 
sess no  knowledge.  Probably  few  of  them  had 
ever  heard  a  rifle  shot,  and  fewer  still  had  ever 
experienced  or  witnessed  its  results. 

The  writer  recalls  an  experience  in  the  very 
heart  of  this  impenetrable  wild  in  which,  in 
company  with  others  of  the  party,  in  descend- 
ing from  an  elevation,  the  upper  portions  of 
which  were  free  of  timber  and  densely  covered 
with  luxuriant  "bunch  grass/'  the  sun  still  a 
half  hour  from  its  disappearance  beneath  the 
artificial  horizon,  its  soft  mellow  rays  mingling 
with  the  rich,  dark  mantle  of  the  pine  and 
spruce,  and  the  lighter  hued  foliage  of  the  aspen 
groves  which  fringed  them,  lighting  up  bright 
patches  upon  the  exposed  branches  and  casting 
in  contrast  deep  shadows  beneath,  the  whole 
forming  a  great  field  of  green,  bordering  the 
grassy  shores  of  a  beautiful  mountain  park,  that 
rested  peacefully  below. 

Riding  downward,  there  came  suddenly 
from  the  depths  of  an  aspen  thicket,  which  ran 
far  down  a  drain  that  broke  through  the  pine 
and  spruce  timber,  the  rich,  melodious  notes 
of  the  "bugling"  of  an  elk.  To  one  who  has 
listened  to  the  melody  of  these  tones  bursting 
forth  from  the  stillness  of  the  forest,  no  descrip- 
tion, or  attempted  imitation,  is  necessary.  The 
first  call  was  answered  by  another,  and  then 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  197 

another,  until  the  hills  reverberated  the  multi- 
tude of  voices  in  one  unbroken  sea  of  sound. 
The  greatest  gathering  seemed  to  be  in  the 
depths  of  the  gulch,  and,  separating,  the  balance 
of  the  party  stole  noiselessly  toward  its  northern 
slopes,  while  the  writer  alone  hurried  to  the 
line  of  contact  between  the  heavy  timber  and 
the  dense  quaking  aspens  which  clothed  the 
southerly  slope.  Reaching  a  place  of  conceal- 
ment somewhat  in  advance  of  the  party's  on- 
slaught from  the  opposite  side,  and  lying 
quietly  and  expectantly  in  hiding,  there  came 
at  last  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle,  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  another  and  another,  when  instantly 
the  thicket  far  up  and  down  was  lashed  into 
fury  as  though  by  a  mighty  tempest,  the  crash- 
ing of  brush  and  trampling  of  hoofs  adding  to 
the  confusion  and  excitement  of  the  scene  as 
hundreds  of  elk  rushed  headlong  toward  the 
ambush.  Nearer  and  nearer  approached  the 
advance  line  of  the  host,  the  aspens  being  so 
dense  that  no  view  could  be  obtained  of  them 
at  a  greater  distance  than  ten  feet.  Suddenly 
the  brush  parted,  a  magnificent  bull  plunged 
through,  caught  sight  of  the  enemy,  came  for  an 
instant  to  a  sudden  halt,  then,  determined  upon 
his  headlong  course,  leaped  directly  over  the 
writer's  body,  as,  attempting  to  dodge,  he  trip- 
ped and  fell  upon  the  ground  and  quietly  yet 
nervously  remained  there  amidst  trampling 
hoofs,  as  hundreds  of  the  noble  creatures  tore 
onward  and  finally  plunged  into  the  dark  and 


198  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

sheltering  depths  of  the  evergreen  forest  which 
lay  ahove.  Such  were  the  game  conditions  of  all 
this  portion  of  the  Rock  Mountain  region  even 
until  so  late  as  this. 

Working  northward  (with  easterly  and 
westerly  elongations)  to  the  waters  of  the  Gross 
Ventre,  thence  easterly  toward  its  headwaters 
and  over  the  divide  en  route  to  "Camp  Brown/' 
a  frontier  military  post,  now  named  Fort  Wash- 
akie,  situate  on  the  east  of  the  Wind  River 
mountains,  at  the  forks  of  Little  Wind  river 
and  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant by  the  trail,  a  descent  was  made  into  the 
head  of  Green  River  basin  at  a  point  where 
the  nascent  waters  of  the  Green,  starting  far  up 
in  the  fastnesses  of  the  Wind  River  range  and 
fed  by  the  eternal  snows  of  Fremont  and  other 
peaks,  flows  due  north  for  a  distance  of  some 
fifteen  miles  until  intercepted  by  the  divide 
crossed,  when  it  turns  abruptly  to  the  south, 
which  general  direction  it  follows  to  the  sea. 

To  the  left,  rising  from  the  very  backbone 
of  the  Wind  River  range,  near  its  northern 
extremity  and  about  midway  between  Union  and 
Fremont  peaks,  was  yet  another  lofty  eminence, 
gray,  scarred  and  stern-visaged,  which  frowned 
down  upon  the  little  cavalcade  like  some  ill- 
natured  giant  upon  insects  crawling  at  his  feet. 
Determining  that  this  was  the  most  favorable 
approach  obtainable,  the  Major  decided  to  delay 
movements  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Washakie 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  199 

and  made  the  attack.  Following  up  the  Green 
from  the  bend  toward  the  south,  past  two  beau- 
tiful lakes  formed  by  terminal  moraine  obstruc- 
tions and  which,  viewed  from  the  surrounding 
heights,  appeared  Cyclopean  emeralds  resting 
in  a  mighty  trough.  On  past  these  and  to  the 
mouth  of  a  forbidding  canon,  whose  walls  rose 
perpendicularly  until  their  apparent  converg- 
ency  rendered  visible  but  a  narrow  ribbon  of 
the  pale  blue  sky  overhead,  its  walls  striated 
and  polished  in  places  like  a  mirror  from  glacial 
action,  a  turn  was  made  to  the  east,  and,  climb- 
ing upward  to  the  limit  of  grass  and  timber, 
camped  for  the  night.  Early  the  following 
morning  the  surest-footed  mule  in  the  herd  was 
packed  with  food,  blankets  and  the  requisites 
of  the  trip,  and,  followed  by  the  entire  party 
save  the  cook,  commenced  the  mighty  climb. 

Forward  and  backward,  upward  and  on- 
ward, toiled  the  little  band  of  men  and  mule 
to  a  projecting  point  far  above  from  which  a 
stone  might  be  hurled  back  into  the  camp 
departed  from  more  than  three  hours  previous. 
From  here  the  only  practical  footing  was  along 
a  northerly  slope  and  across  a  talus  heap  or 
slide  of  finely  comminuted  rock,  the  toe  of  which 
rested  upon  the  brink  of  a  precipitous  and  un- 
fathomable chasm.  Across  this  (as  in  the  case 
of  Evans  and  the  writer  the  year  previous)  the 
party  stole  cautiously  forward  and  backward, 
working  a  narrow  shelf  with  the  feet  in  the 
creeping,  crawling  mass  that  the  mule  might 


200  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

have  a  pathway.  Then  blindfolding  him,  he  was 
started  upon  the  perilous  trip,  with  one  packer 
in  the  lead  and  the  other  following.  Midway, 
his  keen  instinct  discovered  a  movement  of  the 
earth  beneath  him.  He  stopped  short,  crouched 
and  trembled  for  an  instant,  then,  with  a  snort 
of  terror,  whirled  to  retrace  his  steps.  The  turn 
was  never  completed.  Half  way  around,  he 
toppled  backward  and  shot  like  a  rotating  rocket 
down  the  steep  incline  and  over  the  cliff. 

By  a  circuitous  route  the  packers  reached  a 
point  where  a  view  could  be  obtained  for  some 
distance  below.  There,  upon  a  projecting  shelf, 
was  scattered  portions  of  the  pack,  mingled 
with  bloody  fragments  of  the  beast,  whose 
greater  weight  carried  him  on  downward  into 
depths  so  apparently  interminable  as  to  suggest 
the  possibility  that  he  may  not  even  yet  have 
reached  the  bottom.  Gathering  such  of  the 
cargo  as  could  be  reached,  it  was  distributed 
amongst  the  members  of  the  party,  who,  carry- 
ing it  upon  their  backs,  resumed  the  journey. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  borders  were 
entered  of  a  great  field  of  snow,  which  rested 
practically  upon  the  summit.  Each  of  the  party 
halted  and  looked  carefully  and  curiously  at 
the  great  sheet  spread  before  them.  Then,  with 
a  common  impulse,  each  rubbed  his  eyes  care- 
fully, worked  the  lids  a  few  times  in  quick  suc- 
cession to  further  clear  the  lenses  and  adjust 
the  focus,  and  looked  again,  hesitating  to  raise 
the  question,  until,  finally,  Mac,  the  packer, 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  201 

exclaimed:  "Say,  does  that  snow  look  white  to 
you  fellers?"  And  it  did  not;  for  it  was  a 
striking  occurrence  of  those  peculiar  deposits 
of  red  and  pink  snow  so  often  found  at  great 
elevations,  particularly  in  the  Alps,  and  due 
to  the  presence  of  minute  animal  or  vegetable 
forms.  Moving  forward  across  the  glacier  (for 
it  was  in  fact  the  remnant  of  such,  which  in 
earlier  ages  had  reached  far  down  into  the  valley, 
but  which  had  now  receded  to  this  point), 
numerous  crevasses  were  met,  none  more  than 
two  feet  across  at  the  top,  but  of  depths  of  one 
hundred  feet  and  more.  Another  feature  of  this 
great  perpetual  field  of  snow  and  ice  was  that 
of  the  surface  being  literally  strewn  with  dead 
grasshoppers,  which,  undoubtedly,  in  migrating 
from  the  valley  of  the  Wind  river  to  that  of  the 
Green,  or  the  reverse,  had  chilled  and  settled 
there. 

Far  out  on  the  silvery  surface  two  huge 
"silver  tip"  bears  were  seated  a  hundred  yards 
or  so  apart,  each  busily  engaged  in  raking  these 
grasshoppers  into  little  heaps  with  his  claws 
and  then  devouring  them.  The  course  led 
midway  between  the  banqueters,  and,  when 
opposite,  each  rested  from  his  labors  for  a  time, 
contemplated  the  intruders  carefully,  sniffed  the 
air,  licked  their  chops,  and  resumed  operations, 
apparently  concluding  that  they  preferred  grass- 
hoppers. 

Upon  a  little  cone-shaped  mass,  the  highest 
of  all  points  in  the  great  table-topped  area  which 


202  REMINISCENT    RAMBLIXGS. 

formed  the  summit,  the  desired  observations 
were  made,  which  completed,  a  return  was  at 
once  engaged  in.  The  bears  had  finished  their 
meal  and  ambling  leisurely  along  a  hundred 
or  two  yards  in  advance,  finally  disappeared 
in  the  forest  below. 

The  eminence  occupied  showed  an  elevation 
of  13,215  feet,  or  but  575  feet  less  than  that 
of  Fremont's  peak. 

In  Irving' s  " Adventures  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville"  a  graphic  description  is  given  of  Bonne- 
ville  and  party's  attempt  at  crossing  this  Wind 
River  range  from  the  head  of  "Popo  Agie" 
on  the  east,  with  a  view  to  reaching  their  camp 
(Fort  Bonneville)  in  the  upper  portion  of  Green 
River  basin  by  a  shorter  route,  and  when  upon 
the  summit  they  saw  some  distance  to  the  north 
of  them  a  formidable  and  lofty  peak,  which  they 
visited  and  made  the  ascent  of.  Without  inves- 
tigation it  would  appear  that  this  was  what  is 
now  known  as  Fremont's  peak,  but  such  could 
not  have  been  the  case,  as  it  is  at  least  forty 
miles  in  a  straight  line  along  the  summit  of 
the  range  from  even  the  most  northerly  fork 
of  the  Popo  Agie.  However,  Irving  says:  "It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  Captain  Bonneville  had 
no  instruments  with  him  with  which  to  ascer- 
tain the  elevation  of  this  peak.  He  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  that  it  is  the  loftiest  point  of  the 
North  American  continent,  but  of  this  we  have 
no  proof.  It  is  certain  that  the  Rocky  mountains 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  203 

are  of  an  altitude  vastly  superior  to  what  was 
formerly  supposed.  We  rather  incline  to  the 
opinion  that  the  highest  peak  is  further  to  the 
northward  and  is  the  same  measured  by  Mr. 
Thompson,  surveyor  to  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany, who  by  the  joint  means  of  the  barometer 
and  trigonometric  measurement,  ascertained 
it  to  be  twenty-five  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  an  elevation  only  inferior  to  that  of 
the  Himalayas." 

How  frightfully  out  of  adjustment  Mr. 
Thompson's  instruments  must  have  been. 

Descending  into  the  basin  and  following 
down  the  Green  and  over  the  site  of  old  Fort 
Bonneville,  where  some  evidences  of  its  existence 
still  remained,  a  deflection  was  made  to  the  east, 
keeping  well  under  the  lee  of  this  magnificent 
section  of  the  continental  vertebrge,  whose 
granite  nucleus  rises  barren,  unclothed  and 
majestic  to  heights  of  from  2,000  to  3,000  feet 
above  timber  line  and  higher  still  above  the  up- 
turned edges  of  the  later  geological  generations 
which  rest  upon  its  flanks. 

Skirting  the  shore  of  that  pearl  of  waters, 
Fremont's  lake,  for  a  distance  of  some  ten  miles, 
thence  southeasterly  toward  and  over  the 
"Lander  Cut-off"  pass,  down  the  Atlantic  slope 
through  the  old  and  nearly  abandoned  mining 
camps  of  South  Pass  City,  Atlantic  City,  Camp 
Stambaugh,  and  Miners'  Delight,  when  turn- 
ing north  and  hugging  closely  the  eastern  flank 


204  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

of  the  range  for  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles,  we  reach  the  summit  of  a  high  divide 
between  two  lateral  drains,  from  whence  far 
away  down  in  the  valley  the  eye  caught  the 
bright  flutter  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  while 
to  the  ear  was  borne  the  faint,  melodious  notes 
of  the  bugle  call  at  Camp  Brown,  later  named 
Fort  Washakie. 


CHAPTEK    XL 

The  old  time  military  post  of  the  frontier 
was  a  feature  worthy  of  mention.  It  was  to 
the  nomad  of  the  boundless  waste  of  mountain 
and  plain  what  London,  Paris  or  New  York 
are  to-day  to  the  most  rural  life  which  sur- 
rounds them,  a  point  where  the  prospector, 
freighter,  hunter  and  trapper,  red  and  white, 
met  as  though  by  common  consent,  free  from 
the  restrictions  of  class,  and  yet  more  free  from 
moral  restraint,  and  drank  and  gambled  and 
raced  horses  and  fought,  and  later  lay  in  the 
guard  house  and  pondered  with  dim  recollection 
over  the  brief  season  they  had  enjoyed  in  this 
center  of  extreme  civilization  and  convenience, 
while  the  post  trader  counted  the  cash  they  had 
so  recently  possessed  and  credited  it  to  his  own 
account.  Of  these  features  Camp  Brown  en- 
joyed a  fair  degree. 

Across  the  parade  ground,  past  the  quarters 
of  the  commandant,  Major  Upham,  filed  the 
pack  train  and  its  followers,  then  down  the 
bluff  and  into  camp  on  a  short  stretch  of  bottom 
land  that  bordered  the  stream.  And  here  it 
was  now  learned  that  an  uprising  of  the  Ban- 
nock tribe  of  Indians  was  in  progress  in  and 
about  the  Yellowstone  National  park  and  that 
all  the  military  available,  including  such  force 


206  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

as  could  be  spared  from  Camp  Brown,  was  en- 
gaged in  suppressing  it. 

Apout  the  post  were  encamped  some  three 
thousand  Shoshones  and  Arapahoes,  many  of 
the  former  being  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the 
Government  in  quelling  the  Bannock  disturb- 
ance. They  received  the  pay  and  rations  of 
regular  soldiers,  guided  their  own  movements 
in  the  raids  which  they  made,  and  were  per- 
mitted to  retain  such  plunder  captured  as  was 
the  property  of  the  enemy. 

The  night  was  always  employed  as  the  time 
of  departure  and  return  of  the  raiders,  and 
this,  with  the  blazing  camp  fires  of  three  thous- 
and Indians  within  the  radius  of  a  mile,  with 
scouts  arriving  at  the  post  bringing  information 
of  the  near  approach  of  the  Bannocks,  and  with 
the  entry  of  a  band  of  victorious  Shoshones 
making  merry  with  their  spoils,  the  night  was 
indeed  "filled  with  music"  and  Camp  Brown 
a  faithful  presentation  of  the  typical  frontier 
post. 

It  was  early  in  the  morning  of  the  second 
day  when  the  packers,  George  and  Mac,  after 
attending  their  stock  quartered  at  the  quarter- 
master's corral,  returned  hastily  with  the  in- 
formation that  they  had  found  there  amongst 
the  mules  of  the  survey  one  named  "Lucy," 
brought  in  during  the  night  by  a  band  of  Sho- 
shones and  having  been  captured  from  the  Ban- 
nocks. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  207 

The  mule  Lucy  was  an  iron  gray,  well 
known  not  only  to  the  packers,  but  to  the 
balance  of  the  party,  as  belonging  to  the  division 
which  had  accompanied  our  own  from  Ham's 
Fork  up  the  Green  river  to  the  point  where  the 
separation  occurred  near  its  head.  Further,  to 
remove  all  question,  the  mule  bore  upon  its  left 
shoulder  the  brand  of  the  survey,  U.  S.  G.  S. 
Incidentally,  much  other  plunder,  together  with 
several  Bannock  prisoners,  had  accompanied  the 
mule  and  was  being  held  in  an  improvised  guard 
house  (a  wall  tent)  but  a  short  distance  away. 
Approaching  the  guards,  two  Shoshone  Indians, 
who,  each  with  a  rifle  in  his  folded  arms,  paced 
with  stealthy  Indian  tread,  backward  and 
forward,  one  in  front,  the  other  in  the  rear  of 
the  tent.  Entering,  there  was  met  stalking 
about  the  interior,  a  stately  Bannock  brave, 
drawn  about  whose  shoulders  and  falling  to  the 
floor  in  graceful  folds,  was  a  large  red  and 
white  table  cloth.  Stopping  short  and  half 
turning,  he  drew  his  gaudy  mantle  about  him 
closely  and  assumed  the  majestic  attitude  of  a 
toga-wrapped  Roman.  There  was  something 
strangely  familiar  as  well  as  ludicrous  in  the  ap- 
pearance presented  by  the  improvised  mantle, 
for  it  was  of  the  identical  pattern  and  cut  from 
the  same  piece  as  that  from  which  we  had  eaten 
our  breakfast.  In  outfitting  at  Cheyenne  each 
division  had  been  supplied  with  this  article  cut 
from  the  same  bolt.  Upon  the  ground  lay 
several  other  Bannocks,  while  in  one  corner  was 

14 


208  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

heaped  a  pile  of  blankets  upon  which  rested 
two  guns.  Each  of  these  articles  was  identified 
as  the  property  of  some  member  of  the  same 
division  to  which  the  mule  belonged,  and  there 
was  no  longer  any  question  as  to  the  experience 
they  had  met  with,  other  than  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  members  themselves. 

Later  in  the  season  it  developed  that  this 
division  encamped  one  night  on  the  edge  of  a 
forest  which  bordered  a  mountain  park,  wherein 
the  pack  animals  were  grazing,  and  while 
grouped  about  the  camp  fire  heard  suddenly 
the  rattle  of  the  bell  upon  the  bell  mare,  followed 
by  a  general  stampede  of  the  herd;  then  the 
sharp  crack  of  a  half  dozen  rifles  from  out  the 
darkness  followed,  scattering  the  fire  and  ashes 
in  their  faces,  while  one  of  the  packers  made  a 
quick  grab  at  his  hip,  too  late,  however,  to 
catch  a  rifle  ball  which  grazed  the  skin.  Instantly 
each  member  of  the  party  tumbled  backward 
out  of  the  bright  light  of  the  camp  fire  into  the 
friendly  shadows  of  the  forest  and  took  to  his 
heels,  each  for  himself  and  selecting  his  own 
route. 

So  widely  did  their  paths  diverge  that  the 
campaign  was  nearly  ended  ere  a  reunion  fully 
occurred.  A  few  found  their  way  to  still 
another  division  of  the  survey  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fire  Hole  basin,  while  others  wandered  on, 
finally  reaching  the  old  town  of  Helena  in 
Montana,  the  entire  party,  during  their  pil- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  209 

grimage,  subsisting  mainly  upon  the  fruits  of 
the  forest.  _._ 

Eleven  days  in  the  camp  established  near 
the  Post,  and  with  packs  replenished,  the  time 
had  now  come  to  again  occupy  the  wilds,  and 
with  an  escort  of  Shoshone  Indians,  together 
with  an  interpreter  named  Charles  Blackburn, 
furnished  by  Major  Upham,  the  division  set 
forth  in  a  northwesterly  direction  along  the 
Wind  river  toward  its  head,  then  over  the 
mountains  and  into  the  outskirts  of  the  wily 
Bannocks'  operations. 

The  Shoshones  who  accompanied  were  pro- 
visioned by  the  post,  and  not  wishing  to  be 
hampered  with  the  care  of  pack  animals,  each 
packed  his  rations  upon  the  animal  he  rode. 
Tiring  of  this  and  the  additional  load  it  im- 
posed upon  their  saddle  ponies,  they,  after  a  few 
days'  march,  sought  to  devour  it  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  This  processs  proving  too  slow,  they 
threw  the  balance  away.  Then,  until  hunger 
discouraged  further  attempt,  hung  about  the 
camp  of  the  survey,  picking  up  the  scraps  and 
waiting  each  meal  time  for  an  invitation  which 
never  came.  Discouraged  in  this,  two  of  them 
detoured  from  the  line  of  march  and  that  night 
appeared  at  camp  with  the  sides  of  two  elk. 
Late  into  the  night  they  frolicked  about  the 
camp  fire,  dancing,  singing,  pow-wowing, 
toasting  the  ribs  of  the  elk,  supported  by  green 
sticks  before  the  fire,  until  the  dormancy  of 


210  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

gluttony  overcame  them  and  they  slept.  Alter- 
nating the  days,  they  fasted  and  feasted  in 
regular  order  through  the  entire  campaign. 
During  the  day's  march  they  rode  in  no  regular 
order.  Many  of  them  would  disappear  entirely, 
to  reappear  only  when  camp  was  made  for  the 
night.  Whether  at  any  time  they  were  in  front, 
in  the  rear,  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  was 
never  known,  but  from  the  high  points  reached 
as  one  looked  backward,  the  general  course 
traveled  was  found  to  be  accurately  marked  by 
faint  ascending  columns  of  smoke,  arising  from 
fires  which  they  had  started  upon  the  most 
prominent  points  along  the  line.  That  it  was 
the  work  of  our  Indian  escort  there  was  little 
question,  though  the  act  or  its  purpose  was  never 
detected. 

It  was  difficult  to  realize  that  these  simple, 
playful,  seemingly  improvident  and  childlike 
beings  were  really  warriors  whose  defense  was 
worthy  of  consideration,  but  the  Shoshone  of 
that  day  required  no  supplementary  testimony 
in  this  behalf.  The  silent  graves  of  innu- 
merable foes  who  had  sought  to  trespass  upon  his 
possessions  of  time  immemorial  bore  mute  evi- 
dence that  he  had  and  would  fight.  And  why 
should  he  be  other  than  simple  and  playful  ?  Por 
he  was  possessed  of  a  happiness  that  was  un- 
affected and  true.  And  why  be  provident  to 
the  end  of  accumulation  for  which  he  had  no 
rational  need  and  the  cares  of  which  he  could 
not  dispel?  His  wants  were  simple,  few  and 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  211 

easily  supplied.  His  intelligence  was  wholly 
adapted  to  the  maintenance  of  an  unostenta- 
tious and  unchanging  style  of  existence.  He 
neither  packed  about  or  hoarded  up  any  evidence 
of  an  indebtedness  to  him  on  the  part  of  his 
fellow  being  which  he  had  never  earned,  nor 
did  he  destroy  any  portion  of  his  privilege  of 
consumption  and  enrich  an  idle,  cunning  and 
presuming  master  through  contribution  of  a 
portion  of  his  production.  He  was  never  a 
sufferer  from  over-production,  for  when  his 
needs  were  supplied  his  labors  ceased.  To  be 
sure  he  hung  about  our  camp  at  mealtime,  for 
his  palate  had  already  been  tickled  by  the  highly 
spiced  and  unnatural  foods  we  ate,  and  with 
the  whiskey  which  he  hoped  we  might  possess. 
He  was  also  an  inveterate  gambler,  and  played 
draw  poker  to  the  end  that  he  ofttimes  wore  no 
blanket  and  walked ;  yet  there  remains  no  ques- 
tion of  whom  he  learned  the  game  or  from 
whom  he  obtained  the  cards.  As  together  we 
wandered  through  the  forest  our  more  advanced 
minds  entered  into  no  successful  competition 
with  him  in  detecting  and  interpreting  the  warn- 
ings of  nature  as  to  our  actual  needs  and  welfare. 
When  later,  fortified  with  barometers,  etc.,  we 
disregarded  the  evidence  and  advice  he  had 
offered  and  remained  in  Buffalo  Fork  basin  but 
a  few  days  past  the  time  he  had  advised  for 
our  departure,  it  was  to  battle  against  and  camp 
in  five  feet  of  snow  upon  the  range  in  making 
our  escape.  Still,  how  little  advanced  he  seemed 


212  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

in  comparison  with  ourselves !  Though  he 
worshipped  an  infinite  power  (differing  a  little 
perhaps  in  the  form  of  worship,  but  evidently 
the  same  as  our  own,  for  there  certainly  can  be. 
but  one)  and  of  which  he  possessed  as  intimate 
a  knowledge  as  we!  Again,  his  knowledge  of 
himself  seemed  fairly  perfect.  His  hair  was 
abundant,  his  teeth  contained  no  gold  filling, 
nor  were  there  any  cavities  to  fill.  He  wore 
no  lenses  of  glass  before  his  eyes  wherewith  to 
augment  his  vision,  for  it  was  perfect.  He 
packed  no  supply  of  drugs,  Latin  phrased  pre- 
scriptions or  medicines  of  any  kind,  yet  he 
remained  in  perfect  health,  while  we  were  at 
times  ill.  Still,  it  was  plain  that  he  was  of  no 
earthly  account;  a  miserable  vagabond  stum- 
bling about  in  the  dense  jungle  of  ignorance, 
accumulating  nothing  he  did  not  need  and  inter- 
fering with  those  who  did;  taking  no  interest 
whatever  in  the  acquirement  of  that  which 
makes  the  individual  great  through  fear  and 
dependency  on  the  part  of  his  fellow  man.  He 
had  not  even  learned  to  destroy  a  hundred 
monarchs  of  the  forest  wherewith  to  construct 
for  himself  a  vast,  palatial  wigwam  containing 
rooms  for  which  he  had  no  use  and  which  re- 
quired the  time  and  labor  belonging  to  others 
to  care  for,  and  the  destruction  of  hundreds  of 
other  monarchs  of  the  forest  to  warm.  It  had 
never  occurred  to  the  sodden  intellect  of  this 
ambitionless  being  to  gain  a  personal  ownership 
of  a  portion  of  the  lands  of  his  tribe,  or,  better 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  213 

still,  the  whole,  if  possible,  or  even  to  possess 
himself  of  the  exclusive  privilege  to  hunt  or 
fish,  or  tan  the  pelts  of  wild  animals,  or  manu- 
facture the  bows  and  arrows  of  his  tribe,  and 
thus  derive  a  greater  advantage  through  the 
needs  of  others. 

But  who  wishes  to  become  an  Indian  ?  No 
one,  of  course. 

Still  lower  in  the  scale  of  animal  life,  the 
bee  and  the  ant  are  unquestionably  amongst  the 
most  striking  examples  of  industry,  thrift, 
order  and  success,  handicapped  as  they  are 
through  their  evident  principles  of  collectivism. 
Yet  who  wishes  to  become  a  bee  or  an  ant  ?  And 
we  must  admit  that  for  the  simple  purpose  of 
adopting  many  of  their  teachings  of  incalcu- 
lable value  to  mankind,  it  is  hardly  necessary 
that  we  should. 

And  so,  disgusted  with  his  utter  lack  of 
enterprise  or  so-called  civilization,  and  dis- 
couraged at  any  attempt  to  cultivate  it,  we 
passed  on  and  resumed  our  labors  as  the 
advance  guard  of  individual  accumulation  and 
pointed  out  as  accurately  as  possible  the 
precious  metal-bearing  areas,  together  with  the 
most  promising  deposits  of  coal  and  iron,  where- 
by they  might  be  gathered  up  as  quickly  and 
inexpensively  as  possible  and  forever  placed 
within  the  absolute  possession  and  sacred  guard- 
ianship of  some  philanthropic  individual  or 
combine,  and  generations  yet  unborn  be  relieved 


214 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 


of  any  worry  or  distress  incident  to  any  interest 
whatever  in  them. 

Eeaching  "Bull  Lake"   fork  of  the  Wind 
river,  a  camp  was  established  upon  its  shores 

while  making  ob- 
servations from  a 
prominent  point 
high  up  in  the 
range  to  the  west. 
The  lake  was 
o  r  m  e  d  through 
e  destruction  of 
a  wide  area  of  the 
recent  sedimentary 
formation  through 
which  the  stream 
flowed  and  the  cre- 
ation of  a  terminal 
moraine  below. 

The  name  "Bull 
Lake"  had  been 
given  it  by  the  In- 
dians from  the  fact 
that  at  certain 
times  low  moan- 
ings  or  bellowing 
sounds  emanated 
apparently  from 
its  bosom,  while 
the  legend  ran  that 
far  away  in  the 


"IUd  Blanket." 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  215 

dim  distant  past  of  the  race  a  Shoshone  brave 
had  wounded  a  buffalo  bull  who,  in  his  frenzy, 
had  chased  him  into  the  lake,  where  both  were 
drowned.  Investigation  proved,  however,  that 
the  wind  blowing  from  a  certain  quarter  and 
entering  the  holes  and  hollows  which  nature 
carved  in  the  cliffs  of  soft  rock  which  fringed  its 
shores,  was  alone  responsible  for  the  uncanny 
sounds. 

Amongst  the  Indian  escort  was  one  of  strik- 
ing peculiarities  called  "Ked  Blanket,"  from  the 
fact  that  he  wore  girded  about  his  loins  a  red 
blanket  which  fell  in  double  folds  about  the 
upper  portions  of  his  legs,  forming  a  kilt,  the 
upper  or  outer  fold  of  which,  when  necessary, 
he  raised  and  wrapped  about  his  shoulders  for 
additional  protection  from  the  weather. 

Far  up  on  the  headwaters  of  the  fork,  alone 
with  the  Indian,  we  halted  to  rest  in  the  shelter 
of  a  dense  thicket  by  the  stream.  Scarce  were 
we  seated,  when  an  elk  bugled  in  the  forest  a 
short  distance  above.  The  Indian,  in  a  playful 
mood,  opened  the  breech  of  the  government  car- 
bine which  he  carried,  and  placing  the  stock 
upon  the  ground  between  his  mocasined  feet, 
blew  into  the  muzzle,  reproducing  the  melody 
of  the  elk  so  exact  as  to  be  startling.  Promptly 
the  elk  answered  and  an  interchange  of  calls 
followed,  the  elk  meantime  approaching  closer 
and  closer,  until  at  last,  peering  through  the 
dense  thicket,  he  could  be  seen  picking  his  way 
with  cautious  and  uncertain  tread  through  the 


216  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

timber  and  down  the  mountain  side  directly 
toward  us.  ~No  longer  able  to  withstand  the 
cowardly  impulse,  the  writer  raised  his  rifle  to 
fire,  when  "Red  Blanket/'  reaching  across, 
placed  his  hand  upon  the  barrel  of  the  gun,  and 
deflecting  it  gently,  said  with  a  kindly  implor- 
ing glance  and  shake  of  his  head,  "~No  shoot  em 
elk;  no  want  em;  got  heap  meat  now.  Sabe?" 
What  a  teaching  along  the  line  of  material  econ- 
omy and  the  higher  principles  of  humanity  was 
here  presented  through  the  act  of  this  uncultured 
child  of  the  forest.  And  what  a  reflection  upon 
the  long-haired,  cowardly,  improvident  white 
renegade  who,  hidden  in  the  "breaks"  of  some 
dry  arroya,  wantonly  slaughtered  a  nearby  herd 
of  buffalo,  simply  to  see  them  fall  and  secure  the 
hida 

Forty  miles  further  to  the  northwest  the 
range  was  crossed  through  Union  Pass.  The 
pass  was  broad  and  filled  with  heavy  timber.  It 
was  near  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  an  early 
autumn  day,  bright  shafts  of  sunlight  streamed 
downward  through  innumerable  openings  in  the 
rich  foliage  of  the  primeval  forest,  while  the 
stilly  stillness  of  undisturbed  nature  pervaded 
all.  The  Major  rode  in  the  lead,  as  was  his  cus- 
tom, the  writer  following  closely,  while  the  In- 
dians occupied  a  position  some  distance  in  the 
rear  of  the  train.  It  was  the  hour  of  march  in 
which  as  a  rule  the  morning's  stock  of  conversa- 
tion material  was  well  exhausted,  and  all  had 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  2lT 

relapsed  into  the  dreamy  meditation  which  ac- 
companies the  last  quarter  of  a  lengthy  march 
and  precedes  the  establishment  of  camp. 

The  Major  alone,  as  was  his  custom  at  times, 
continued  a  line  of  conversation  as  he  rode  slowly 
forward,  never  turning  his  head,  and  so  subdued 
in  tone  that  only  a  small  percentage  of  his  words 
penetrated  the  writer's  drowsy  understanding; 
while  guided  by  the  modulations  of  his  voice,  he 
interpolated  with  amazing  correctness,  born  of 
long  experience,  such  exclamations  of  interest  as, 
"Well,  well!"  "A  ha!"  "Indeed!"  etc.,  all  of 
which  required  less  effort  and  disturbance  of 
dreams  on  his  part  than  an  attempt  at  clearer  un- 
derstanding through  a  request  for  a  repetition  of 
each  statement,  and  as  experience  had  proven, 
was  more  satisfactory  to  the  Major. 

Suddenly  the  Major  brought  his  mule  to  a 
halt,  and  nervously  clutched  the  Ballard  rifle, 
scrambled  out  of  the  saddle  and  crouched  at  the 
foot  of  a  huge  pine.  No  form  of  game  of  any 
kind  could  be  seen,  but  his  movements  indicated 
it  was  a  bear ;  and  whereas  the  Major  was  pos- 
sessed of  certain  manners  and  movements  which 
accompanied  the  discovery  of  each  kind  of  ani- 
mal', his  bear  movements  were  less  liable  to  be 
misunderstood  than  any.  Discharging  his  rifle, 
ho  climbed  hurriedly  back  into  the  saddle,  while 
through  the  thick  timber,  at  a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred yards  or  less,  a  monster  form  was  seen  to 
rise  upon  its  hind  legs  to  a  towering  height, 
while  angry  snarls  rent  the  stillness  of  the  forest. 


218  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

It  was  a  huge  bear  of  the  grizzly  type.  For  a 
moment  he  stalked  about  upon  his  hind  feet  in 
search  of  the  enemy,  all  the  while  pouring  forth 
a  torrent  of  the  most  blasphemous  bear  language, 
when  finally  discovering  nothing,  he  dropped 
upon  all  fours,  and  starting  at  right  angles  to 
our  pathway,  crossed  a  small  ridge  and  disap- 
peared from  view.  Advancing  to  the  point 
where  he  had  been  engaged,  there  lay  beside  the 
trail  the  carcass  of  a  huge  bull  elk,  so  recently 
killed  that  the  flesh  was  still  warm.  Bear  were 
so  common  in  all  this  country  at  this  time,  that 
under  ordinary  circumstances  their  meeting  cre- 
ated but  little  excitement,  but  this  fellow  was  of 
such  Herculean  proportions  as  to  excite  the  old- 
est hunter.  Unable  to  restrain  an  insane  ambi- 
tion for  the  conquest  of  so  exceptional  a  beast, 
the  writer  rode  hurriedly,  yet  cautiously  to  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  in  pursuit,  while  the  intense 
eagerness  which  possessed  him  had  mixed  with 
it  a  trace  of  fear  that  possibly  he  might  be  found. 
Sitting  astride  the  mule  on  the  brow  of  the 
ridge,  sharp  watch  was  kept  of  the  direction  in 
which  he  had  disappeared,  then  listened  intently, 
but  no  sight  or  sound  of  the  ponderous  old  pa- 
triarch presented  itself  for  a  time,  when  of  a 
sudden  a  loud  crash  accompanied  by  a  violent 
commotion  of  the  underbrush  in  the  bed  of  the 
drain  below,  and  the  form  of  a  monstrous  bear 
emerged  and  started  to  climb  the  opposite  slope. 
The  mule  snorted  his  expressions  of  fear  and  dis- 
approval, worked  his  long  ears  nervously,  gave  a 


REMINISCENT   BAMBLINGS.  219 

few  quick  glances  to  the  right  and  left,  then  be- 
hind him  to  see  that  the  field  was  open  for  re- 
treat, and  trembled  slightly  beneath  the  writer, 
while  he  trembled  violently  above  the  mule,  then 
raised  the  rifle  and  fired  quickly  at  the  immense 
target.  A  snarl  of  pain  and  anger  followed  the 
report  of  the  gun,  as  glancing  backward  over  his 
shoulder  he  caught  sight  of  his  enemy,  and 
wheeling  about,  plunged  headlong  into  the  brush 
on  a  return  trip  of  annihilation.  Instantly  upon 
his  appearance  from  the  thicket  a  second  shot 
was  sent  in  search  of  him,  as  the  mule  turned 
and  stampeded  wildly  back  down  the  face  of  the 
ridge,  which  he  had  ascended,  circled  about  a 
short  distance,  then  of  his  own  accord,  stopped 
and  faced  about  in  the  direction  of  his  starting 
point.  Hardly  had  he  done  so,  when  the  bear 
reached  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  where  a  third 
shot  greeted  him.  The  mule  cavorted  about  in 
a  small  circle,  while  the  bear  tore  madly  down 
the  slope,  rushing  blindly  into  a  large  spruce 
which  intercepted  his  pathway.  Crazed  by  his 
wounds  and  maddened  at  the  interference,  he 
reared  upon  his  hind  legs,  and  with  his  huge 
forepaws,  beat  the  trunk  of  the  tree  high  up, 
tearing  away  the  green  bark  in  great  sheets  and 
filling  the  air  with  its  fragments.  Changing 
from  this  form  of  attack  at  intervals  he  hugged 
the  trunk  with  desperation,  biting  savagely  at 
the  form  within  his  embrace.  Taking  advan- 
tage of  his  distraction,  a  fourth  shot  was  dis- 
charged, the  ball  striking  him  in  the  ear  and  en- 


220  REMINISCENT    RAMBUNGS. 

tering  the  brain.  Slowly  he  sank  upon  his 
haunches,  the  great  claws  cutting  deep  grooves 
as  he  clung  with  a  dying  and  hopeless  determi- 
nation to  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  then  with  his 
head  thrown  back  in  pathetic  despair  the  mas- 
sive paws  relaxed  their  hold,  while  the  brave  and 
noble  brute  fell  backward  upon  the  tufted  carpet 
of  his  forest  home,  a  lifeless  mass.  It  was  in- 
deed a  most  pathetic  exhibition  of  the  dethrone- 
ment of  superb  physical  power,  and  the  conquer- 
ing only  through  death  of  a  courage  that  knew 
no  fear. 

The  Indians,  packers  and  other  members  of 
the  party,  hearing  the  firing,  had  now  reached 
the  spot,  and  were  grouped  about  the  huge  and 
prostrate  mass,  carefully  investigating  and  joint- 
ly admiring  the  whole. 

He  had  quite  acquired  his  winter  coat,  the 
fur  averaging  eight  inches  in  depth.  One  ear 
was  torn  off  close  to  his  head,  probably  the  result 
of  a  difference  of  opinion  arising  between  him- 
self and  a  worthy  rival.  In  repeated  lifting  of 
his  carcass,  through  the  joint  effort  of  six  men, 
it  was  estimated  that  his  weight  was  not  far  from 
eleven  hundred  pounds. 

The  Indians,  in  removing  the  hide,  found  a 
ball  from  the  Ballard  rifle,  which  acquitted  the 
Major  gracefully.  Then  there  was  found  three 
of  the  four  fired  from  the  writer's  Spencer.  Nor 
was  this  all,  for  the  old  fellow  was  a  veritable 
lead  mine.  Against  his  right  shoulder  was 
found  another,  flattened  to  about  the  dimensions 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  221 

of  a  silver  dollar,  while  in  the  muscles  of  his 
neck  was  still  another,  also  much  battered,  each 
of  the  two  last  mentioned  wounds  having  long 
since  healed. 

Stretching  the  green  hide  and  pinning  it  to 
the  ground,  it  was  found  to  measure  over  seven 
feet  square.  Dressing  with  what  little  salt 
could  he  spared  for  its  preservation,  Red  Blan- 
ket was  the  following  morning  dispatched  with 
the  skin  to  a  cow  camp  some  sixty  miles  distant 
on  Wind  River,  with  instructions  for  it  to  be 
taken  to  the  post  upon  their  first  visit,  and  de- 
livered to  the  squaws  to  tan. 

We  had  journeyed  far  on  down  the  Gros 
Ventre  and  up  a  tributary  and  into  the  moun- 
tains to  the  north,  when  Red  Blanket,  several 
days  later,  overtook  the  party,  having  taken  up 
the  trail  at  the  point  of  his  separation  and  fol- 
lowed it  unerringly  into  camp. 

For  weeks  the  outfit  stole  stealthily  forward 
through  wild  and  beautiful  forest  and  park,  over 
precipitous  mountains,  down  into  weird  and 
shadowed  glens,  then  along  the  banks  of  limpid, 
murmuring  and  trout  laden  streams,  and  the 
shores  of  mirror  like  lakelets,  well  up  into  the 
land  of  the  hostile  Bannock.  Circling  about 
over  a  great  area  in  the  south  of  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park,  and  finally  wandering  back  upon 
the  head  waters  of  Buffalo  Fork  to  engage  in  the 
completion  of  some  unfinished  work  in  this 
locality.  For  days  past  the  Indians  had  at  in- 


222  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

tervals  looked  wisely  into  the  heavens,  then 
scanned  the  horizon  closely,  and  with  accompa- 
nying gesticulations  muttered  their  fear  of  a 
great  storm.  Each  time  the  barometers  were 
consulted  carefully,  and  firmness  added  to  the 
belief  that  not  only  was  there  little  danger  of  a 
serious  storm,  but  that  the  Indians'  motive  was 
more  that  of  a  return  to  the  butterfly  life  of  the 
post,  than  a  fear  of  the  elements,  either  on  his 
own  account  or  that  of  others. 

Supper  finished  one  night  in  a  little  aspen- 
bordered  park  by  the  stream,  the  smoking  of 
pipes  in  comfort  and  a  feeling  of  security  about 
the  blazing  camp  fire  was  being  indulged  in, 
when  a  rustle  of  the  deciduous  foliage  near,  ac- 
companied by  a  flutter  of  the  flame,  and  a  puff 
of  smoke  from  the  fire  attracted  the  attention, 
and  looking  upward  over  the  encircling  peaks, 
great  clouds  were  seen  hurrying  across  the  open- 
ing. Soon  an  unrestful  sound,  gradually  deep- 
ening into  a  low  moan,  and  then  into  a  decisive 
and  determined  roar,  came  from  the  fastnesses 
of  the  forest-clad  hills  above;  a  moment  later 
the  storm,  furious  and  blinding,  burst  relent- 
lessly upon  the  camp.  All  night  long,  and  until 
late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  the 
storm  raged,  when  at  its  close  the  snow  lay  waist 
deep  in  the  little  park,  with  well-known  addi- 
tional depths  in  the  mountain  passes  above. 

The  stock  were  now  subsisting  from  the 
leaves  of  the  quaking  aspen,  which  were  felled 
for  that  purpose.  No  escape,  save  through 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  223 

greater  depths  of  snow  than  that  which  immedi- 
ately surrounded  was  possible,  unless  it  were  to 
follow  down  the  drainage  of  the  Snake,  and  west- 
ward into  Idaho.  And  this  led  far  away  from 
the  objective  point,  and  out  into  a  wide  waste 
that  involved  a  lengthy  wandering.  All  other 
routes  led  over  a  mountain  range.  Above  the 
camp  and  to  the  eastward  was  a  pass  known  as 
"To-owo-tee."  It  was  by  far  the  nearest,  and 
as  the  Indians  believed,  much  the  most  likely  to 
permit  of  passage. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  fol- 
lowing the  storm  the  hungry  and  weakened  ani- 
mals were  saddled  and  packed,  and  the  battle 
was  on  with  the  beautiful.  Deeper  and  deeper 
became  the  snow  as  the  little  band  wallowed  and 
struggled  upward  toward  the  summit. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  and  high  up  on  the 
pass  appeared  a  bunch  of  quaking  aspens  at  the 
sight  of  which  the  hungry  mules  brayed  in  cho- 
rus, and  camp  was  made  for  the  night  in  five 
feet  of  snow.  At  noon  of  the  following  day  the 
summit  was  reached,  and  with  the  grade  changed 
to  advantage,  a  rapid  descent  was  made  into 
shallower  depths,  and  finally  out  upon  an  out- 
lying spur  of  the  range,  and  well  down  in  the 
valley  of  the  upper  Wind  River  where  the  grass 
was  plentiful  and  the  ground  bare. 

Far  away  down  this  stream,  where  "Crow 
Heart  Butte"  towers  high  above  its  eastern 
banks,  camp  was  established  one  night  in  a  log 
cabin  owned  by  Washakie,  Chief  of  the  Sho- 

15 


224  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

shones,  and  employed  by  him  as  a  headquarters 
upon  hunting  expeditions. 

This  cabin  in  later  years  became  additionally 
historic  through  becoming  the  final  retreat  while 
hard  pressed  of  a  certain  renegade  Shoshone 
chief,  where,  though  surrounded  by  soldiers  and 
Indians,  he  made  so  determined  a  defense  that 
finally  a  howitzer  was  brought  into  action,  his 
stronghold  shelled,  the  Indian  killed,  and  the 
old  cabin  partially  destroyed. 

Camp  was  hardly  established  here,  when  the 
storm,  seemingly  enraged  at  the  escape  from 
Buffalo  Fork,  followed  and  again  burst  in  fury. 

Crow  Heart  Butte  has  for  generations  been 
a  historical  landmark,  and  was  the  last  topo- 
graphical station  to  be  occupied.  This  butte 
rises  to  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  valley  in  which  it  is  situated,  and  is 
composed  of  alternating  layers  of  clays  and  sand- 
stones. It  is  the  most  prominent  landmark  in 
all  that  section,  and  derives  its  name  from  the 
interesting  fact  that  in  time  past,  during  an  un- 
pleasantness which  at  all  times  existed  between 
the  Shoshones  and  their  neighbors,  the  Crows,  a 
battle  was  fought  a  short  distance  to  the  east. 
The  Shoshones  were  victorious,  and  a  zealous 
and  triumphant  Shoshone  brave,  cutting  outrthe 
heart  of  a  dead  Crow,  placed  it  upon  the  point  of 
a  lodge  pole,  and  ascending  the  butte,  erected  the 
pole  upon  its  summit,  where  it  was  allowed  to 
remain  long  afterward  as  a  warning  to  the  foe. 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  225 

Near  the  camp  which  followed  this,  down  at 
the  junction  of  Torrey's  Fork  with  the  Wind 
River,  was  camped  that  night  a  prospector  of  the 
old  school.  The  stranger  came  over  the  bluffs 
to  the  east,  and  from  the  direction  of  the  Owl 
Creek  range  of  mountains.  He  was  a  short, 
solidly  built  man  with  full  bushy  beard,  and  a 
heavy  shock  of  hair,  each  grizzled  to  about  the 
extent  of  a  middle-aged  badger,  and  generously 
sheltered  by  an  expansive  brim  of  a  much  bat- 
tered and  weather-beaten  sombrero. 

Upon  each  hip  was  mounted  an  enormous 
Colt's  navy  of  somewhat  ancient  model.  In  a 
scabbard  at  his  saddle  bow  on  the  right  was 
sheathed  a  huge  hunting  knife,  while  resting 
behind  the  pommel  and  balanced  across  his  lap 
was  an  old  Springfield  army  rifle.  The  whole, 
mounted  on  a  scrubby,  sleeping-looking  "Pinto" 
pony  of  Indian  breed,  and  followed  closely  by  a 
little  square  built  Texas  pack  mule,  who  bore 
upon  his  back  the  household  supplies  and  tools 
of  a  typical  prospector. 

The  little  outfit  ambled  down  the  bank  and 
into  the  creek  bottom  but  a  few  rods  below,  and 
were  soon  unsaddled  and  encamped.  While  en- 
gaged in  preparing  his  supper,  the  writer  strolled 
over  to  the  camp  and  attempted  to  engage  him  in 
conversation,  but  failed.  He  was  dignified,  si- 
lent, and  even  morose. 

I  wanted  to  tell  him  who  we  were,  and  im- 
press him  with  a  knowledge  of  the  social  and 
scientific  surroundings  into  which  he  had  un- 


226  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

consciously  drifted,  but  he  didn't  seem  to  care, 
or  place  any  value  on  it  whatever.  Then  inter- 
est changed  to  an  observance  of  the  man  and  his 
methods. 

The  camp  equipment  of  the  Hayden  expedi- 
tions, and  particularly  that  of  the  kitchen  de- 
partment, had  long  been  regarded  as  a  wonder. 
The  methods  of  the  entire  world  along  this  line 
had  been  ransacked  and  culled  of  their  valuable 
features.  In  addition,  all  this  had  been  altered 
and  added  to  by  the  most  experienced  and  ingen- 
ious minds,  until  it  seemed  that  nothing  re- 
mained possible  to  do  in  attaining  perfection, 
and  that  the  system  presented  itself  without  fear 
of  competition  as  the  acme  of  compactness,  de- 
sirability and  simplicity.  One  could  imagine 
the  stupefying  effect  through  the  sudden  de- 
thronement of  a  belief  so  deep-seated,  had  they 
watched  the  system  of  this  old  prospector  unfold 
itself. 

His  little  miniature  camp  fire,  which  could 
be  easily  covered  with  the  hat  he  wore,  was  now 
started,  and  his  operations  of  preparing  the 
evening  meal  well  under  way. 

In  the  edge  of  the  fire  was  a  tomato  can 
filled  with  water  being  heated.  Nearby  upon 
the  ground  was  a  small  frying  pan,  a  little  ten- 
pound  lard  bucket,  and  a  bit  of  soiled  and  heavy 
canvas  about  two  feet  square. 

Taking  a  handful  of  coffee,  he  threw  it  into 
a  small  leathern  bag  about  the  size  of  a  tobacco 
sack ;  this  he  pounded  between  two  stones  until 


REMINISCENT    RAMBUNGS.  227 

the  kernels  were  crushed.  Cutting  a  few  slices 
of  bacon,  he  threw  them  into  the  frying  pan  and 
placed  it  on  the  fire;  while  this  was  cooking  he 
mixed  a  batter  of  flour  and  baking  powder  in 
the  lard  bucket  with  a  little  wooden  paddle  he 
had  whittled.  The  bacon  fried,  he  tossed  out 
the  slices  one  by  one  upon  the  piece  of  canvas 
with  the  point  of  the  big  hunting  knife,  then 
poured  the  batter  into  the  pan  with  the  bacon 
grease,  and  replaced  it  on  the  fire.  When  the 
lower  side  of  the  flap- jack  was  done  he  loosened 
it  from  the  pan  with  his  knife,  and  seizing  the 
pan  by  the  handle,  tossed  the  cake  high  in  the 
air,  and  caught  it  in  the  pan  bottom  upward; 
while  this  side  was  browning,  the  water  in  the 
tomato  can  reached  the  boiling  point,  when  he 
dumped  the  little  sack  of  coffee  therein,  and 
already  the  evening  meal  was  fully  prepared. 

Seating  himself  upon  the  ground  beside  the 
canvas  he  feasted  alternately  from  a  slice  of 
bacon  held  in  one  hand  and  a  fragment  torn  from 
the  huge  flap- jack  in  the  other,  interspersing  the 
process  at  frequent  intervals  with  long  draughts 
of  coffee  from  the  tomato  can  in  which  it  was 
boiled,  finally  finishing  with  a  dessert  of  dried 
fruit,  previously  prepared  and  stored  in  a  glass 
pickle  jar.  Supper  ended,  he  rinsed  the  coffee 
can,  dashed  a  little  cold  water  in  the  heated 
frying  pan,  leaving  the  lard  bucket  until  the 
following  meal,  when  the  batter  having  dried, 
the  scales  were  easily  removed  and  all  dish- 
washing done.  No  fork,  spoon,  cup,  plate  or 


228  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

cooking  utensil  of  any  form  other  than  those 
mentioned,  found  the  slightest  service  to  ^er- 
f  orm  in  either  his  kitchen  or  dining-room,  while 
from  the  man's  unsocial  and  inhospitable  man- 
ner, the  writer  little  dreamed  that  a  year  later 
in  a  camp  many  hundreds  of  miles  removed,  he 
would  be  invited,  even  forced  at  the  muzzle  of 
one  of  those  ancient  but  persuasive  Colts  to  dine 
with  him. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

Keaching  Camp  Brown  a  few  days  later,  the 
campaign  was  now  ended  so  far  as  field  work 
was  concerned,  yet  a  long  weary  march  of  nearly 
four  hundred  miles  remained  to  reach  Chey- 
enne, where  the  mules  and  paraphernalia  must 
be  returned  for  care  and  safe-keeping  during  the 
winter,  to  be  again  ready  for  service  the  succeed- 
ing summer. 

Of  the  scientific  force,  a  greater  number 
were  regular  attaches  of  the  survey,  and  in 
haste  to  reach  Washington  and  enter  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible  upon  the  duties  of  work- 
ing up  the  field  notes  of  the  past  summer; 
though  unconsciously  on  their  part  perhaps, 
somewhat  possessed  of,  and  influenced  by  a  de- 
sire to  seek  a  speedy  relief  from  the  crude  life  of 
mountain  and  plain,  and  again  taste  the  luxu- 
ries of  a  higher  civilization  and  its  surround- 
ings. Hence  the  writer  was  detailed  to  conduct 
the  outfit  to  Cheyenne,  while  they  made  the  near- 
est point  on  the  Union  Pacific  railway  by  army 
ambulance  from  Camp  Brown. 

A  few  days  rest  of  the  mules  while  rearrang- 
ing the  packs,  when  together  with  the  packers 
and  cook,  we  single-filed  awray  from  the  fort,  and 
off  to  the  southward  along  the  eastern  flank  of 
the  Wind  River  Mountains,  the  mules  swinging 


230  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

onward  with  free  and  lengthy  strides,  at  each  of 
which  they  wagged  their  long  ears  in  approval  of 
their  lightened  loads,  and  the  homeward  course 
they  were  pursuing,  camping  at  nightfall  of  the 
first  day  in  the  outskirts  of  Lander  City,  an  old 
settlement  on  the  Popo  Agie. 

Lander  was  in  its  time  a  typical  frontier  city 
of  those  early  days.  Now  not  more  than  a  half 
dozen  of  its  crude  edifices  remained  whose 
weather-beaten  and  dilapidated  exteriors  bore 
mute  evidence  of  the  fearful  odds  against  which 
the  town  had  contended  in  the  struggle  to  main- 
tain its  title  as  a  city.  Still  what  reputation  the 
place  may  have  lost  in  this  direction,  it  had 
gained  in  others,  for  it  was  then  known  far  and 
near  as  the  most  noted  rendezvous  of  horse 
thieves,  stage  robbers,  train  robbers  and  hold- 
ups generally,  in  all  that  northern  country,  then 
so  fruitful  of  such  talent. 

But  a  few  days  previous  a  band  who  had 
robbed  the  camp  at  Caribou,  and  successfully 
held  up  a  Union  Pacific  train,  with  its  escort  of 
regular  soldiers,  started  northward  for  the  Black 
Hills.  Early  en  route  they  had  encamped  one 
night,  when  the  party  whose  turn  it  was  to  cook 
conceived  the  idea  of  capturing  the  entire  stock 
of  plunder,  and  to  this  end  poisoned  the  bread 
which  he  was  baking.  In  his  eagerness  to  make 
the  attempt  a  success,  he  exercised  so  great  gen- 
erosity in  dealing  out  the  poison  that  their  stom- 
achs refused  to  harbor  it.  Capturing  the  mur- 
derous chef  (who  alone  had  remained  unaf- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  231 

fected),  they  hastily  discussed  the  case  and  de- 
cided to  shoot  him,  then  deliberating  farther, 
they  commuted  the  sentence  to  abandonment, 
after  being  stripped  of  all  valuables  and  given  a 
crippled  horse.  With  this  he  was  left  to  work 
out  his  own  salvation  in  escaping  from  the  posse 
which  they  knew  then  to  be  on  their  trail.  In 
this  condition  he  made  his  way  to  Lander,  reach- 
ing there  upon  the  same  day  as  ourselves. 

The  country  about  Lander  to  the  south  and 
east  was  now  infested  with  this  class,  to  whom 
the  fine,  strong  pack  and  saddle  animals  of  the 
survey  with  their  now  limited  defense,  were 
most  desirable.  Foregoing  the  delights  of  an 
extended  stay  in  the  extremely  democratic  com- 
munity, a  hurried  march  was  made  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Sweetwater,  then  down  its  valley 
and  along  the  old  California  trail  to  a  point  near 
Independence  Hock.  Now  leaving  the  valley 
and  turning  due  south,  passing  through  that  de- 
file known  as  Whiskey  Gap,  thence  onward  in 
practically  a  straight  line,  keeping  so  far  as 
possible  away  from  all  trails  until  noon  of  the 
sixth  day,  when  suddenly  from  a  line  of  bluffs 
appeared  the  track  of  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
way at  a  point  a  short  distance  west  of  Rawlins, 
then  on  along  the  railway  east  a  distance  of  six- 
teen miles,  completing  the  day's  march  at  the 
station  and  government  post  of  Fort  Steele  on 
the  north  fork  of  the  Platte  River,  where  at  this 
time  no  blade  of  grass  was  visible  for  a  radius 


232  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

of  many  miles,  while  the  public  store  was  with- 
out a  single  pound  of  grain. 

The  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  fast  dis- 
appearing, as  grouped  about  the  store  building, 
men  and  mules  awaited  some  solution  of  the 
problem.  There  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  march 
on  into  the  night  in  search  of  grazing,  which  was 
well  known  to  be  impossible  of  obtaining  in  a 
less  distance  than  twenty  miles. 

A  short  distance  away  an  officer  was  seen  ap- 
proaching leisurely  from  the  direction  of  the 
post.  Drawing  nearer  he  came  directly  to  the 
writer  and  inquired,  "Are  you  in  charge  of  this 
stock,  and  are  they  government  mules  ?"  Reply- 
ing in  the  affirmative.  He  asked,  "Where  will 
you  feed  them  to-night  ?"  Replying  that  it  was 
a  matter  as  yet  unsatisfactorily  determined,  he 
quietly  and  without  further  ceremony  took  a 
card  from  his  pocket,  and  writing  a  brief  note 
upon  its  back,  presented  it  with  the  remark, 
"Perhaps  this  will  help  you  out." 

The  face  of  the  card  bore  the  name,  Major 
Thomas  T.  Thornburg,  Fourth  IT.  S.  Infantry. 
While  upon  the  opposite  side  was  written  an  or- 
der to  the  Quartermaster  at  the  post  to  care  for 
the  mules  until  the  following  day.  Then  cor- 
dially extending  the  hospitality  of  his  quarters, 
he  passed  on,  each  little  thinking  that  we  would 
later  be  indirectly  associated  in  an  affair  so  fatal 
to  himself. 

Reaching  Cheyenne,  the  outfit  was  given  into 


EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  .        233 

custody  for  the  winter,  and  the  campaign  was 
fully  ended.  _,,_ 

Ever  since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Black 
Hills  of  Dakota,  and  the  commencement  of  the 
stampede  in  that  direction,  Cheyenne  had  been 
its  most  important  outfitting  point.  From  here 
the  six-horse  Concord  coaches  dashed  away  daily 
to  the  northward  laden  with  the  adventurous 
spirits  in  the  search  for  gold,  followed  slowly 
by  long  lines  of  freight  teams  carrying  forward 
the  necessaries  of  life  which  they  later  must 
have,  together  with  the  luxuries  they  surely 
would  have,  in  case  of  success,  save  perchance 
the  wily  Indians  of  the  North  got  either  them- 
selves or  the  goods  which  followed  them  en  route^ 

But  why,  now,  this  horde  of  fortune  hunters 
returning  in  so  great  numbers  ?  Had  the  golden 
reefs  and  sands  of  the  hills  played  out?  No. 
But  news  of  a  richer  field  had  found  its  way  to 
them.  Leadville  had  disclosed  its  treasure 
vault  hidden  away  in  what  was  now  known  as 
Fryer  Hill,  and  thither  from  North,  South,  East 
and  West,  and  every  point  of  compass  between, 
where  a  passable  trail  existed,  streamed  hun- 
dreds, thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  be- 
ings, old  and  young,  male  and  female,  pressing 
tumultuously  forward  over  rugged  mountain 
and  across  the  barren  and  desolate  plain  to  reach 
this  Mecca  of  glittering  wealth. 

And  now  like  Charlemagne  in  his  grief  and 
forebodings,  as  he  watched  the  wild  and  resolute 


234  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Norseman  coasting  along  the  shores  of  his  land 
in  their  snake-like  galleys,  and  bethought  him- 
self of  the  woes  that  were  about  to  befall  his 
countrymen,  the  writer  stood  beside  the  trail  and 
gazed  upon  the  motley  throng,  while  hope  sank 
to  a  fathomless  depth  as  he  realized  the  probable 
loss  of  those  Leadville  mining  claims,  in  which 
it  had  so  long  been  centered. 

Far  away  down  in  the  Wet  Mountain  Val- 
ley, lying  between  the  Wet  Mountain  and  the 
Sangre  de  Christo  ranges  there  had  now  been 
discovered  a  still  later  field  from  which  ore  of 
fabulous  richness  was  already  being  mined. 

Rounding  up  the  saddle  horse  and  pack  mule, 
which  had  been  wisely  retained  as  a  sort  of  safe- 
guard against  railway  and  stage  rates,  in  case 
of  future  necessity  for  travel,  coupled  with  a 
shortage  of  funds,  the  writer  a  few  days  later 
passed  southward  over  the  Divide,  driving  the 
pack  mule  before,  and  headed  for  the  "new  find." 
It  was  not  the  springtime  in  which  the  prospec- 
tor usually  starts  on  his  hopeful  mission,  glad- 
dened and  strengthened  by  the  bright  sunshine 
and  the  gentle  exhilarating  atmosphere  of  the  re- 
gion, his  ears  filled  with  the  joyful  notes  of 
birds,  and  his  eyes  feasting  upon  the  fresh  and 
growing  foliage  and  flowers,  but  a  gray  chill  No- 
vember day  near  the  close  of  the  month.  Far 
away  to  the  left  stretched  the  plains  like  a  cold, 
bleak,  lifeless  and  sombre  sea,  its  horizon  inde- 
finable and  lost  in  the  murky  storm-laden  clouds 
above.  To  the  right  rose  the  "Base  Kange,"  the 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  235 

summit  of  which  was  now  white  from  a  recent 
fall  of  snow.  Pike's  Peak,  away  to  the  south, 
had  sought  shelter  for  its  upper  or  unclothed  por- 
tion in  vapory  sheets  which  left  only  its  forest- 
clad  base  exposed.  Fitful  gusts  from  the  range 
tore  through  the  jack  pines,  which  bordered 
the  trail  and  spitefully  hurled  the  scattering 
snowflakes  far  away  out  of  their  vertical  line  of 
descent. 

On  to  the  southward  but  a  short  distance  be- 
low Colorado  Springs  a  bridle  path  diverged 
from  the  wagon  trail  and  led  southwesterly 
across  the  lower  portion  of  the  range  to  the  south 
of  Pike's  Peak,  and  in  an  almost  direct  course 
for  the  new  camp  of  Silver  Cliff,  yet  nearly  a 
hundred  miles  distant.  Following  the  dim  trail, 
not  many  miles  had  been  traversed,  when  the 
storm  which  for  several  days  had  threatened, 
commenced  in  that  silent,  steady,  systematic 
manner  which  indicates  its  operation  to  be  severe 
and  of  long  duration.  The  wayside  feed  for  the 
animals  in  this  mountainous  region  was  short 
and  scarce,  and  when  but  an  hour  or  two  had 
passed,  no  sign  of  it  was  visible  above  the  snow. 
Enveloped  in  gloom  which  also  shrouded  the 
hungry  beasts  as  they  saw  their  food  disappear, 
we  plodded  onward ;  the  pack  mule,  as  the  noon 
hour  approached,  stopping  at  intervals  at  some 
point  which  appeared  suitable  for  camping,  then 
being  rebuked,  snatched  a  mouthful  of  foliage 
from  some  nearby  shrub  and  hurried  forward 
out  of  present  reach. 


236  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Finally  descending  a  slope  from  the  ever- 
green timber  above,  into  a  little  belt  of  quaking 
aspens  which  fringed  it,  we  emerged  suddenly 
into  one  of  those  meadowland  parks  so  fre- 
quently met  with  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Out 
across  the  little  park  near  its  opposite  border  and 
close  beside  a  limpid  stream  whose  sinuous  chan- 
nel bespoke  its  apparently  numerous  changes  of 
decision  as  to  which  course  to  pursue,  stood  an 
old  log  cabin,  and  beyond,  at  the  very  edge  of 
the  park,  a  log  stable. 

A  thin  column  of  smoke  curled  upward  from 
a  huge  chimney,  the  stones  of  which  were  rough- 
ly laid  in  a  mortar  of  mud,  and  which  rested 
buttress-like  against  the  cabin's  easterly  side, 
The  storm  was  now  raging  fiercely,  when  rid- 
ing hurriedly  across  the  park  and  dismounting 
at  the  door  which  opened  to  the  west,  a  knock 
was  sounded  for  admittance,  while  the  pack 
mule  scurried  quickly  around  the  corner  and 
hugged  closely  to  the  south  face  of  the  structure, 
seeking  shelter  from  the  storm  which  was  coming 
mercilessly  out  of  the  north. 

~No  sound  of  footsteps  from  within  had 
been  heard,  when  the  door  was  cautiously  opened 
for  a  short  distance,  and  around  its  edge  (her 
form  being  sheltered  behind  it)  appeared  the 
kindly  face  of  an  old  lady.  Without  waiting 
to  listen  to  an  explanation  in  full,  she  pulled  the 
door  wider  open,  keeping  well  behind  it  for 
shelter  as  she  did  so,  and  bade  me  enter.  To- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  237 

gether  with  the  storm  I  drifted  in,  while  the  sad- 
dle animal  sought  vainly  to  follow. 

The  cabin  was  divided  into  two  rooms.  The 
one  entered  was  warmed  by  a,  kitchen  stove, 
upon  which  a  teakettle  sputtered  and  sang  its 
cheery  simmering  song,  undisturbed  by  the  dis- 
cord of  the  tempest's  howl  without.  Across  the 
room  and  underneath  its  only  window  stood  an 
old-fashioned  dining  table,  with  its  leaves  at- 
tached by  hinges,  to  be  opened  for  service  or 
folded  for  compactness  and  convenience  wrhen 
not  in  use.  Upon  a  rough  board  shelf  attached 
to  the  wall  stood  an  old-style  clock  with  wooden 
frame,  a  picture  painted  upon  the  lower  portion 
of  its  door,  its  dial  marked  with  large  Arabic 
figures  in  place  of  Roman  numerals,  and  the 
hands  pointing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  now  past 
noon.  A  huge  Maltese  cat  left  the  chair  in 
which  it  was  nestled  near  the  stove,  and  ap- 
proaching, arched  its  back,  elevated  its  tail,  and 
walking  past  nibbed  its  side  familiarly  against 
my  leg,  then  turning  suddenly  about,  repeated 
the  operation  with  the  other  side ;  while  a  shep- 
herd dog,  which  had  followed  in  after  sounding 
the  alarm  of  approach,  and  who  now  seemed  con- 
vinced that  the  stranger  was  welcome,  sought  to 
entertain  by  alternately  disturbing  the  cat's  dem- 
onstrations and  standing  on  his  hind  .legs  with 
his  paws  upon  my  breast.  The  old  lady  mean- 
while added  several  sticks  of  wood  to  the  fire, 
opened  the  draughts  to  their  fullest  extent,  and 
while  the  writer  warmed  his  hands  and  ex- 


238  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

plained  the  intrusion  she  listened  attentively, 
occasionally  interpolating  a  sympathetic  remark 
or  a  wise  suggestion,  until  at  last  a  scraping 
sound  against  the  logs  of  the  cabin,  as  the  saddle 
and  pack  animals  crowded  each  other  in  their 
choice  of  position,  awakened  us  to  the  fact  that 
the  pleasant  climatic  change  within  did  not 
extend  to  them.  The  kind-hearted  and  consid- 
erate hostess,  also  not  unmindful  of  the  discom- 
forts of  the  storm-beaten  brutes,  said,  "Now, 
when  you  have  warmed,  I  would  put  those  ani- 
mals in  the  stable;  it's  empty,  my  son  has  gone 
down  to  the  Arkansas  valley  and  won't  be  back 
for  a  day  or  two  yet.  The  only  feed  we  have 
for  them  is  that  corn  out  there  in  the  shock,  and 
you  will  have  to  husk  it,  so  get  your  hands  good 
and  warm." 

A  half  hour  later  the  animals  were  snugly 
stabled  and  munching  their  nubbins  of  corn  with 
that  comfortable,  cosy  sound  so  familiar  to  one 
who  as  a  boy  has  done  chores  and  taken  care  of 
stock  during  the  long  winter  on  a  New  England 
farm. 

Returning  to  the  cabin,  one  leaf  of  the  table 
was  found  raised,  the  whole  covered  with  a 
clean  white  cloth  and  spread  bounteously  with 
food.  Entering,  the  old  lady  took  the  teapot 
from  the  stove,  and  por.ring  a  cup  of  hot  tea, 
remarked,  "Now  sit  right  down  to  the  table 
while  everything  is  warm.  I  hadn't  noticed  it 
was  so  late,  being  alone,  and  if  you  don't  mind 
I'll  eat  a  little  something  with  you."  Then  ad- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  239 

justing  the  little  shawl  she  wore  about  her  neck 
and  shoulders,  she  seated  herself  at  the  opposite 
side  of  the  table,  while  the  cat  stationed  itself 
by  her  side  and  the  dog  by  mine. 

As  I  ate,  the  mind  was  so  filled  with  the 
memory  of  earlier  days  that  there  were  soon 
three  biscuits  beside  my  plate,  each  partially  de- 
voured, had  lost  my  fork  by  leaving  it  in  the 
plate  of  fried  eggs,  and  only  ceased  putting 
sugar  in  my  tea  when  the  dog  warningly  laid 
one  paw  upon  my  knee.  Then  leaving  my  tea- 
spoon in  the  sugar  bowl,  and  forgetting  for  the 
time  that  the  present  environment  was  but  tran- 
sient, I  lived  again  the  simple  life  of  boyhood 
on  the  old  farm  up  in  Washington  county,  New 
York,  and  over  near  the  Vermont  line.  This 
was  just  such  an  old  table  as  ours,  and  there 
being!  but  three  in  the  family  my  mother  never 
moved  it  from  the  wall  or  raised  but  one  leaf  at 
mealtime,  except  when  there  was  company.  The 
old  clock  upon  the  shelf  was  exactly  like  ours, 
only  the  picture  on  the  door  differed  and  that 
but  slightly.  And  now  as  it  struck  the  hour  of 
one,  its  tone  was  startling.  It  was  the  same 
agonizing  sound  that  all  through  youth  had  dis- 
turbed my  morning  slumbers  and  hurried  me  off 
to  school,  and  later,  when  night  came,  whose 
imperative  tones  had  sent  me  back  to  bed  again. 
The  dog  and  cat  chose  their  partners  the  same  as 
they  were  doing  here;  and  I  dreamed  on,  that 
all  this  turmoil,  strife  and  disappointment,  all 
these  weary  paths  so  lately  trod  were  but  a 

16 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  241 

dream,  and  peace  and  joy  possessed  me  as  the 
false  conviction  forced  itself  upon  my  mind. 

Once  more  the  dog  laid  his  paw  upon  my 
kne6,  and,  partially  arousing,  I  gazed  abstract- 
edly across  the  table  at  the  woman  as  she  poured 
a  portion  of  the  steaming  tea  from  the  cup  into 
the  saucer,  raised  it  to  her  lips  and  turning  her 
head  from  side  to  side  gently  blew  the  heated 
atmosphere  from  its  surface ;  then  sipped  it  with 
long-drawn  sips,  pausing  between  each  to  further 
cool  it  by  blowing  again.  The  sight  intensified 
my  fancy,  for  during  all  my  life  at  home  I  had 
each  mealtime  witnessed  this  identical  style  of 
tea  drinking  with  never  a  detail  omitted,  and 
listened  to  the  same  long-drawn  soothing  sips, 
and  nursed  the  joyous  phantasma  until  again 
the  dog,  placing  his  paw  impatiently  upon  my 
knee,  awakened  me  more  fully  than  before. 
The  vision  cleared,  I  heard  the  clink  of  the  cup 
as  it  was  replaced  in  the  empty  saucer,  and  at 
last  looked  understandingly  into  the  genial  face 
of  the  old  lady  as  she  smilingly  and  significantly 
remarked,  "It  makes  one  sleepy  riding  in  the 
storm  and  cold  of  a  day  like  this,  doesn't  it  ?" 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation  which  fol- 
lowed inquiry  was  made  as  to  the  length  of  her 
residence  in  the  park,  then  gradually  sought 
to  pry  into  a  knowledge  of  her  birthplace  and 
all  subsequent  dwelling  places.  For  that  hated 
malady,  homesickness,  still  lingered,  nurtured 
and  revived  through  recent  misfortunes,  and  a 
mania  possessed  me  to  search  for  those  whose 


242  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

early  home  had  been  near  mine.  Not  demand- 
ing an  extremely  near-by  residence,  the  same 
State  now  made  them  appear  as  old-time  friends 
and  slightly  related.  Noticing,  no  doubt,  the 
determination  to  possess  this  information,  the 
old  lady  said,  "I  was  born  and  lived  all  my 
girlhood  life  back  in  York  State."  I  was  fully 
awake  now,  the  heartbeats  strengthened  and 
quickened,  the  blood  increased  the  velocity  of  its 
circulation,  and  leaning  forward  I  eagerly  in- 
quired, "What  part  of  York  State?" 

She  replied,  "I  was  born  and  raised  on  a 
farm  in  Washington  county,  near  the  town  of 
Salem,  and  on  the  road  leading  from  there  to 
a  neighboring  town  then  called  Union  Villaga" 

Incapable  of  further  restraint,  I  arose  from 
the  chair  so  suddenly  that  the  dog,  alarmed  at 
the  unlooked-for  demonstration,  jumped  away 
to  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  turning  half 
way  around  to  be  in  a  position  to  continue  the 
retreat  or  return  in  case  the  alarm  proved 
false,  looked  inquiringly  at  each  of  us  for  some 
explanation ;  the  cat  arched  its  back  at  the  sud- 
den demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  dog ;  while 
excitedly  reaching  across  the  table,  my  coat 
sleeve  caught  and  upset  the  castor,  as  I  grasped 
the  hand  of  the  old  lady  and  assured  her  that  I, 
too,  was  from  Salem. 

And  now,  while  she  prepared  a  dinner  for 
the  dog  and  cat  by  gathering  upon  one  plate 
all  the  scraps  of  food  remaining  from  the  meal, 
stacked  the  dishes  in  one  pile,  gathered  up  the 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  243 

table  cloth,  and  opening  the  door,  shook  the 
crumbs  out  on  the  surface  of  the  snow,  then 
taking  the  dishpan  from  the  wall  where  it  was 
hanging  beside  the  stove,  poured  a  quantity  of 
hot  water  into  it  from  the  teakettle,  added  a  little 
soft  soap  from  an  old  brown  bowl  on  a  shelf 
near  by  (the  same  old  soft  soap  that  at  each 
springtime  at  home  on  the  farm  the  writer  had 
assisted  in  the  manufacture  of  by  packing  water 
and  pouring  it  into  the  barrel  of  wood  ashes 
from  which  was  leached  the  lye,  and  then  boiled 
the  lye  and  grease  down  into  the  real  article, 
and  scrubbed  his  chapped  hands  with  it,  and 
got  it  down  deep  into  the  cracks  and  while  it 
smarted  danced  about  on  his  toes  and  indulged 
in  a  few  unorthodox  remarks  in  an  undertone) 
then  while  standing  by  the  table,  she  washed  the 
dishes  and  he  wiped  them,  and  later  as  we  sat  by 
the  kitchen  fire,  we  resurrected  all  the  old  resi- 
dents in  Union  Village  and  Salem,  then  toured 
the  balance  of  Washington  County  and  made  all 
sorts  of  pleasing  discoveries  while  the  cat  lay  in 
the  old  lady's  lap  and  purred  its  satisfaction  at 
the  good  time  we  were  all  having,  and  the  dog 
sat  on  his  haunches  close  up  beside  the  writer 
and  gazed  thoughtfully  into  the  fire,  maintain- 
ing a  respectful  silence  and  seeming  to  regret 
that  he,  too,  was  not  born  and  raised  in  Wash- 
ington County  away  back  there  in  York  State. 
And  thus  we  sat  and  talked  of  the  old  home, 
and  of  those  who  were  personally  known  to  each, 
though  they  were  few,  for  time  had  removed 


244  BEMINTSCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

most  of  her  acquaintances  ere  those  of  the  writer 
were  formed.  Still  her  mind  went  back  by  as 
short  a  route,  and  seemed  to  dwell  as  lovingly  in 
the  memory  of  those  scenes  as  his  own. 

And  now  the  old  clock  on  the  shelf  struck 
three,  the  storm  had  abated,  but  a  deep  frown 
shadowed  the  landscape,  and  the  storm  clouds 
hung  menacingly  above.  Declining  her  urgent 
appeal  to  remain  for  the  night,  she  pointed  out 
from  the  window  where  a  wagon  trail  led  out  of 
the  park  and  over  the  divide  to  other  settlements 
on  Beaver  Creek.  Then  packing  in  wood  and 
heaping  the  box  behind  the  stove  high  up  against 
the  wall,  I  bade  her  a  last  farewell,  and  looking 
backwards  as  we  left  the  park  to  enter  the  tim- 
ber, saw  again  at  the  cabin  window  the  anxious 
face  of  the  kind  old  lady,  as  she  watched  us  wal- 
low onward  and  disappear  in  the  forest  beyond. 

We  had  found  the  wagon  trail,  denoted  now 
only  by  an  opening  through  the  timber,  and  the 
smooth  bench  of  snow  where  the  grade  followed 
upward  along  the  mountain  side.  The  wind 
with  fitful  gusts  hurled  at  intervals  upon  man 
and  beast  small  avalanches  of  snow  from  the 
heavily  laden  boughs  of  the  pine  and  spruce 
trees.  The  animals  struggled  onward  and  up- 
ward, protesting  at  each  step  against  the  seem- 
ing foolishness  of  their  master  in  abandoning  the 
comfortable  quarters  obtained,  to  again  subject 
ourselves  to  the  discomforts  and  severity  of 
travel  at  so  late  an  hour. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  245 

Reaching  the  wide  undulating  surface  which 
formed  the  summit  of  the  divide,  the  first  faint 
shadows  of  the  approaching  close  of  day  were 
noticeable,  as  leaving  a  small  clearing  we  entered 
a  belt  of  scattering  timber  through  which  the 
trail  extended  for  some  distance  in  a  nearly 
straight  line.  Suddenly  the  long  ears  of  the 
pack  mule  became  erect,  and  his  gait  hesitating 
and  shy.  Looking  forward  there  was  visible  in 
the  trail  far  ahead  through  the  timber  the  form 
of  what  appeared  an  animal  struggling  in  the 
snow.  Quickly  detaching  the  rifle  from  the 
horn  of  the  saddle,  it  was  raised  to  fire,  when  a 
closer  glance  showed  it  to  be  the  form  of  a  child, 
while  at  the  same  moment  a  faint  cry  reached 
the  ear.  Pushing  rapidly  forward  to  the  object, 
it  proved  to  be  a  little  girl  of  some  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  age, who  moaned  piteously,  as  nearly 
exhausted  and  with  aching  fingers  and  toes  she 
struggled  onward  through  the  snow.  The  pack 
mule,  for  the  time  forgetting  his  own  troubles, 
hesitated  for  an  instant,  and  cast  a  sympathetic 
glance  at  the  child  as  it  passed ;  then  riding  close 
beside  her,  I  reached  down  and  pulled  her  up 
into  the  saddle.  Hastening  onward  she  ex- 
plained between  sobs  how  she  had  been  at  the 
house  of  another  settler  in  a  small  park  just  off 
the  trail  we  were  traveling,  and  that  her  own 
home  was  but  a  short  distance  ahead  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  and  I  listened  with  inward  delight  at 
the  certainty  of  enjoying  for  the  night  the  hos- 
pitality of  her  grateful  parents.  Then  forged 


246  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

ahead  and  depositing  the  child  in  its  mother's 
arms  as  she  was  about  to  start  in  pursuit,  awk- 
wardly awaited  the  invitation  to  dismount  and 
remain  for  the  night;  then  discouraged  at  the 
outlook,  ventured  to  inquire  if  such  would  be 
convenient.  Turning  half  around,  with  one 
hand  on  the  door  latch,  she  replied,  "Naw,  we 
hain't  got  no  room,  and  my  man  ain't  to  home, 
neither,  and  besides  we  hain't  got  no  hoss  feed, 
nohow.  There's  some  folks  lives  jest  down  the 
road,  and  over  across  the  creek,  that  sometimes 
keeps  folks ;  I  reckon  mebbe  ye  kin  git  to  stay 
there."  With  this  she  slammed  the  door  behind 
her  in  a  manner  that  attracted  the  attention  of 
both  animals,  who  apparently  embarrassed, 
looked  at  each  other  inquiringly.  The  mule 
looked  up  at  the  writer  sort  of  reproachfully  for 
having  left  a  good  home  with  the  old  lady  from 
Washington  County,  then  sidled  off  in  search  of 
a  camping  ground. 

A  mile  or  more  down  the  road  and  on  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  creek  stood  a  log  cabin  of 
rather  diminutive  proportions  for  hotel  pur- 
poses. Near  the  cabin  a  man  with  unkempt 
locks  and  straggling  beard  was  chopping  wood, 
while  two  little  tow-headed  freckled-faced  boys 
with  yarn  mittens  and  muskrat-skin  caps  were 
packing  it  into  the  cabin  and  filling  the  wood 
box  for  the  night.  Fording  the  stream  and  rid- 
ing directly  to  him  an  appeal  was  made  for  a 
night's  lodging,  while  the  nmle,  assuming  it 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  247 

would  be  granted,  continued  its  course  to  the 
rear  of  the  cabin  where  a  small  corral  and  a 
couple  of  stacks  of  oats  cut  while  green  for  fod- 
der had  already  been  discovered.  The  man 
stuck  his  axe  in  the  chopping  block,  his  hands 
in  his  trousers  pockets,  spat  a  great  quantity  of 
tobacco  juice  on  the  snow,  looked  up  good-natur- 
edly, then  surveying  the  premises  generally  said, 
"Wall,  stranger,  we  hain't  got  much  fixings  for 
keepin'  folks,  but  dog-goned  if  I  don't  kinder 
hate  to  turn  a  feller  out  a  night  like  this  (it  was 
snowing  again  fiercely) ,  so  if  you  can  make  out 
with  sich's  we've  got,  why  ye  kin  tackle  it." 
With  this,  he  started  to  lead  the  way  to  the  cor- 
ral, then  turning,  called  to  one  of  the  boys  who 
was  about  entering  the  house  and  said,  "Tell  yer 
maw  there's  a  feller  here  to  stay  all  night." 

While  engaged  in  caring  for  the  animals,  the 
writer  related  to  him  briefly  the  experiences  of 
the  day,  how  he  had  rescued  the  child  of  his 
neighbor  and  after  conveying  it  to  its  home,  had 
been  denied  shelter  for  the  night. 

"Who  d'  ye  see?"  he  asked,  "Him  or  her?" 
"Her,"  I  replied ;  "he  was  not  at  home." 
"Gone  sum'ers,  hey,  wall  yew  betcher  life, 
pardner,  I'd  go  most  ennywher's  to  git  shet  o' 
her ;  why  if  he  shud  cum  hum  hisself  inside  the 
next  half  hour,  he's  jest 's  liable  not  to  cum  enny 
nearer  gittin'  to  stay  ther  'n  yew  did.     Jest  de- 
pends on  how  she  happens  to  be  f eelin' ;  mighty 
good  woman  'bout  sum  things,  but  when  she  gits 


248  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

on  the  warpath  her  sassiety  ain't  wuth  fightiir 
fer." 

The  animals  finally  cared  for  and  entering 
the  cabin  through  a  little  lean-to  kitchen,  and 
from  thence  into  the  main  living  room,  a  rousing 
fire  shot  its  bright  flames  upward  from  the 
hearth  of  a  big  stone  fireplace  around  which 
was  grouped  a  herd  of  seven  children,  while  the 
mother,  whose  form  and  movement  gave  no  evi- 
dence of  Delsarte  training,  ambled  about  in 
preparation  of  the  evening  meal.  Supper  fin- 
ished, we  gathered  about  the  old  stone  fireplace 
ten  strong.  The  host  and  hostess  each  filled  and 
lighted  their  pipe  and  commenced  smoking; 
when,  privileged  by  the  proceeding,  the  writer 
did  the  same. 

The  room  was  large  and  commodious  and 
seemed  to  embrace  the  whole  of  the  cabin.  In 
each  corner  of  the  opposite  end  of  the  room 
stood  a  bed,  while  at  the  foot  of  one  was  a  large 
trundle  bed.  A  few  scattered  boards  rested  up- 
on the  cross-beams  overhead,  over  the  edges  of 
which  hung  a  few  ropes,  straps  and  the  tugs  of  a 
harness.  It  was  evident  there  was  no  sleeping  ac- 
commodations up  there.  A  door  led  out  of  the 
room  from  the  opposite  side  from  which  we  had 
entered,  and  the  possibility  of  its  connecting 
with  another  apartment  alone  remained. 

Finally  one  of  the  children  opening  it, 
dumped  a  bucket  of  ashes  out  in  the  snow.  It 
now  began  to  appear  that  the  guest  was  to  be 
treated  as  one  of  the  family.  It  was  a  long  time 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLING S.  249 

we  had  sat  and  smoked  and  talked,  the  pipes  be- 
ing filled  and  refilled,  when  to  give  the  more 
modestly  inclined  of  the  family  a  chance  to  re- 
tire, the  writer  arose,  knocked  the  ashes  out  of 
his  pipe,  and  remarked  the  advisability  of  hav- 
ing a  look  at  the  stock  to  see  that  everything  was 
all  right  before  going  to  bed.  The  man  endeav- 
ored by  all  sorts  of  argument  to>  discourage  the 
act  as  unnecessary,  while  the  woman  expressed  a 
like  opinion.  However,regardless  of  their  wishes, 
and  after  wandering  around  in  the  cold  and 
snow  for  sufficient  time  to  enable  such  as  wished 
to  retire,  the  house  was  re-entered,  to  find  the 
entire  family  still  clustered  about  the  fire.  Again 
the  pipes  were  filled  and  smoked  for  an  hour  or 
more,  when  suddenly  yawning,  the  landlord  re- 
marked :  "Wall,  pardner,  I  reckon  how  mebbe 
you'd  like  to  turn  in.  So  when  yer  ready  take 
that  ar  bed  over  thar,"  pointing  to  one  of  the 
beds  in  the  corner  of  the  room.  "Reckon  ye 
don't  mind  a  couple  of  the  young  'uns  sleepin' 
with  ye,  do  ye?"  Assuring  him  that  nothing 
would  afford  greater  pleasure,  he  detailed  as 
bedfellows  the  two  boys  who  were  packing  wood 
upon  the  writer's  arrival,  probably  for  the  rea- 
son that  they  had  known  him  longest.  The  bed 
itself  seemed  to  differ  in  no  particular  respect 
from  beds  in  which  he  had  before  slept,  yet  some- 
how in  finding  his  way  into  this  one  that  night, 
and  out  again  the  following  morning,  a  certain 
awkwardness  possessed  him,  which  he  had  never 


250  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

before  experienced,  and  will  not  attempt  to  de- 
scribe, -f- 

Breakfast  over  the  following  morning,  the 
animals  saddled  and  packed,  and  bidding  adieux 
to  the  hospitable  settler,  his  wife  and  each  of  the 
seven  children,  the  journey  was  resumed.  The 
storm  had  cleared  during  the  night,  the  sky  was 
now  bright  and  clear,  and  the  atmosphere  exces- 
sively cold.  The  saddle  horse  and  pack  mule 
each  arched  their  back  and  stepped  forward  in  a 
gingerly  manner,  while  a  mingling  of  squeaks 
and  growls  emanated  from  their  footsteps  as 
they  crushed  the  snow  beneath  their  feet. 

The  third  day  following  the  summit  of  the 
Rosita  Hills  was  reached,  at  the  western  base  of 
which  rested  the  Wet  Mountain  Valley.  Far 
distant  along  the  western  border  of  this  valley, 
extended  in  an  unbroken  line  that  matchless 
Cordillera,  the  Sangre  de  Christos,  rising  ab- 
ruptly from  a  plain  on  either  flank,  the  Wet 
Mountain  Valley  to  the  east,  and  the  San  Luis 
Valley  to  the  west,  it  presents  for  a  hundred 
miles  a  broadside  of  mountain  sculpture  and  an 
outline  of  crest  unsurpassed.  For  a  time  the 
great  white  barrier  was  studied  and  admired; 
its  upper  portions  silhouetted  against  a  Colorado 
sky  and  tinged  with  the  glow  of  a  setting  sun, 
while  here  and  there  along  the  crest,  as  described 
by  Bret  Harte,  "A  few  baby  peaks  were  peeking 
from  under  their  bed  cloths  of  snow."  Down 
below  in  the  foot  hills  nestled  the  little  mining 
camp  of  Rosita,  near  the  Humboldt  and  Poca- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  251 

hontas  mines,  now  well  past  their  zenith  of  pro- 
duction. A  mile  or  more  to  the  north,  and  in 
the  same  eruptive  belt,was  situated  the  recently 
discovered  bonanza  known  as  the  Bassick  Mine, 
whose  fame  had  already  spread  afar;  not  alone 
through  the  marvelous  richness  of  its  ore,  but 
its  phenomenal  features  and  occurrence  as  well, 
the  deposit  being  a  f  umarole  or  solf  atara ;  a  later 
vent,  occurring  in  the  throat  of  a  greater  volcano 
whose  surface  area  embraced  more  than  a  hun- 
dred acres.  Down  deep  in  this  chimney  of 
about  forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  which  once 
belched  fire,  smoke,  hot  water,  steam,  and  gas, 
men  were  now  engaged  in  extracting  the  stony 
substance  which  gathering  therein,  had  under- 
gone the  lengthy  chemical  influences  of  an  active 
plutonic  laboratory,  until  the  fragments  through 
disturbance  from  gaseous  forces,  and  precipita- 
tions from  solutions  had  become  first  rounded 
into  boulder  form,  and  then  incrustated  with 
concentric  layers  of  mineral  compounds,  form- 
ing of  the  whole  an  ore  fabulously  rich  in  gold 
and  silver,  and  as  it  were,  shutting  off  the  fiery 
breath  and  strangling  into  lifelessness  this  once 
appalling  igneous  monster. 

Away  out  yonder  to  the  north  some  five  miles 
distant,  and  well  down  in  the  very  edge  of  the 
Wet  Mountain  Valley,  appeared  a  miscellaneous 
mixture  of  abodes  comprised  chiefly  of  tents  and 
rough  board  shanties.  It  was  Silver  Cliff,  the 
objective  point  toward  which  the  pack  mule,  the 
saddle  animal  and  the  writer  now  resumed  their 
course. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

Silver  Cliff,  during  the  winter  of  1878  and 
1879,  was  composed  of  a  single  street,  which 
ran  in  an  easterly  and  westerly  course  along  the 
south  side  of  a  small  drain  which  led  down  into 
the  valley.  On  the  north  side  and  near  its  edge 
occurred  a  projection  of  eruptive  rock  (rhyolite) 
heavily  stained  and  blackened  with  manganese, 
which  a  force  of  miners  were  blasting  and  exca- 
vating after  the  manner  of  a  stone  quarry.  This 
was  the  celebrated  "Racine  Boy"  mine, -the  dis- 
covery of  which  had  mainly  created  the  stam- 
pede and  established  the  camp. 

The  discovery  was  made  by  some  lumbermen, 
whose  attention  was  attracted  by  the  discolored 
mass,  found  scattered  throughout  particles  of 
"horn"  silver.  And  now  while  the  massive  out- 
crop was  being  quarried  and  the  rich  ore  sorted 
therefrom,  hundreds  of  men  were  scouring  the 
hills  round  about  and  sinking  prospect  holes 
blindly  here  and  there,  with  no  evidence  to  guide 
them,  but  filled  with  the  hope  and  belief  that 
each  stroke  of  the  pick,  each  shot  they  fired, 
would  disclose  a  continuation  of  the  silver- 
studded  formation.  Hundreds  more  were  arriv- 
ing and  each  day  the  radial  line  starting  from 
the  common  center  denoted  by  the  Racine  Boy 
was  lengthened  in  describing  a  circle  outside  of 


BEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  253 

which  only  was  there  ground  subject  to  loca- 
tion. The  one  street  of  the  town  was  lined  on 
each  side  with  structures  as  crude  and  varied  as 
the  lines  of  business  conducted  therein.  Sa- 
loons, gambling  houses,  grocery  stores  and  hard- 
ware establishments  mingled  and  vied  with  each 
other  in  their  daily  transactions,  while  the  great 
general  center,  where,  after  nightfall  the  home- 
less mass  of  males  of  all  ages  and  types  of  char- 
acter met  as  if  by  common  consent,  was  at 
"Arbor's"  dance  hall,  a  barn-like  structure  with 
wide  open  front,  and  whose  interior  of  one  great 
room  embraced  in  its  front  half  a  bar,  two  faro 
tables,  a  Mexican  monte  table,  a  roulette  wheel 
and  a  crap  game.  The  rear  half,  being  reserved 
for  dancing,  was  the  realm  of  a  bevy  of  pow- 
dered and  painted  females,  who,  inspired  by 
the  strains  of  a  piano  and  violin,  flitted  here 
and  there  amongst  the  groups  of  men  gath- 
ered about  the  different  games,  in  search  of 
partners  for  a  dance,  which  ended,  he  was 
escorted  to  the  bar  where,  in  recognition  of 
the  attention  he  had  received,  and  at  his 
expense,  they  for  a  brief  time  dwelt  lovingly 
over  the  flowing  bowl.  The  fair  entertainer 
each  time  receiving  a  check  for  the  amount  of 
the  purchase,  upon  which  she  was  later  paid  a 
commission.  The  dances  were  short  and  conse- 
quently the  drinks  were  frequent.  Occasion- 
ally, in  the  case  of  some  individual  whose  drinks 
had  become  of  sufficient  number,  his  change 
received  also  became  correspondingly  short, 


254  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

and  this  provided  another  source  of  revenue,  to 
say  nothing  of  his  admiration  ofttimes  inclining 
him  to  buy  wine  in  place  of  beer. 

At  intervals,  to  break  the  monotony  of  this 
one  continual  round  of  pleasure,  some  hilarious 
prospector  or  mule  skinner  would  shoot  the 
light  from  one  of  the  kerosene  lamps  that  hung 
in  a  chandelier  above,  showering  broken  glass 
and  coal  oil  upon  the  dancers'  heads,  while  they 
in  turn  showered  the  vilest  imprecations  upon 
his.  The  more  impecunious  huddled  about  the 
big  stove  awaiting  the  general  invitation  which 
ofttimes  came  from  some  whiskey-laden  philan- 
thropist to  huddle  about  the  bar.  Others  hov- 
ered watchfully  over  the  faro  tables  awaiting  the 
only  "sleeper"  to  be  found  in  that  wide-awake 
throng.  The  little  ball  spun  around  and 
around  the  stationary  border  of  the  roulette 
wheel,  and  then  fell  into  one  of  the  pockets  of 
the  rapidly  revolving  center,  and  rode  swiftly 
away  in  an  opposite  direction,  while  the  oper- 
ator cashed  the  bets  that  won  and  took  posses- 
sion of  those  that  lost.  And  thus  the  wild 
revelry  continued  until  the  coal  oil  lamps 
burned  low  and  the  first  faint  light  of  coming 
day  tinged  the  topmost  peaks  on  the  crest  of  the 
Sangre  de  Christo,  far  out  across  the  valley  to 
the  west. 

On  the  southern  slope  of  the  drain,  some  dis- 
tance above  the  Racine  Boy,  the  snow  had 
mostly  been  removed  through  the  agency  of 


BEMINISCETTT    EAMBLINGS.  255 

wind  and  the  sun's  rays  over  an  area  of  some 
considerable  extent,  which  was  now  well  cov- 
ered with  the  tents  of  prospectors  and  amongst 
which  the  writer  pitched  his  own. 

It  was  a  settlement  of  motley  denizens  with 
no  written  law  of  municipal  government,  no 
titled  holdings,  no  regulated  thoroughfares  or 
sanitary  system,  and  no  class  distinction,  save 
the  horse  thief  and  professional  claim  jumper 
on  the  one  side,  and  the  combined  heterogeneous 
mass  of  inhabitants,  irrespective  of  race  or  pre- 
vious condition  of  servitude,  who  steadfastly 
observed  the  unwritten  laws  of  the  camp,  on  the 
other. 

By  far  the  greater  number  of  the  settlement's 
population  were  men,  but  here  and  there  the 
presence  of  a  woman  was  unmistakably  denoted 
by  the  size  and  frequency  of  the  washings  which 
appeared  on  the  guy-ropes  of  a  tent,  and  the 
children  who  clambered  upon  the  backs  of  the 
numerous  jacks,  whose  feed  being  now  well 
buried  beneath  the  snow,  hung  about  the  camp 
in  search  of  other  food. 

Having  selected  a  residence  location  in  the 
socialistic  community,  there  was  first  to  con- 
tend with  that  difficult  task  of  pitching  a  wall 
tent  without  assistance,  when  suddenly  aroused 
by  the  precipitate  flight  of  two  jacks  who  were 
hovering  closely  about  the  flaps  of  the  tent  near- 
est by,  there  was  seen  to  emerge  therefrom  a 
tall,  raw-boned,  broad-shouldered,  unkempt  spec- 
imen of  manhood,  not  yet  past  thirty  years  of 

17 


256  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

age.  He  was  clad  in  a  blue  flannel  shirt  with 
coat  and  overalls  of  brown  canvas,  profusely 
decorated  with  fastenings  of  copper  rivets,  to- 
gether with  a  fairly  generous  and  apparently 
unstudied  application  of  candle  drippings  scat- 
tered artistically  about  over  a  faultless  and  sub- 
stantial groundwork,  laid  upon  the  aforemen- 
tioned garments,  and  formed  through  innumer- 
able and  alternate  applications  of  bacon  grease, 
together  with  that  of  the  soil  of  this  and 
other  camps  respectively.  About  his  waist  was 
strapped  the  conventional  six  shooter,  while  upon 
his  head  he  wore,  in  the  most  unassuming  man- 
ner, unconscious  and  utterly  innocent  of  any  in- 
tent at  personal  display,  a  sombrero,  the  crown  of 
which,  though  low,  possessed  the  most  expansive 
brim  yet  seen  about  the  camp,  and  from  beneath 
which  appeared  the  tangled  locks  of  a  sandy  or 
sunburned  hair.  This  article  of  dress,  which 
he  never  removed  except  when  sleeping,  indi- 
vidualized the  man  to  an  extent  wherein  with- 
out it  few  of  his  acquaintances  recognized  him. 
It  proved  his  most  cherished  holding.  Its  con- 
dition indicated  that  he  had  already  clung  to  it 
for  a  great  length  of  time,  not  necessarily 
through  impecuniousness,  but  most  likely 
through  inability  to  duplicate  its  most  wonderful 
brim.  Several  missing  front  teeth,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  positive  evidence  to  the  contrary,  some- 
how suggested  an  association  of  their  disap- 
pearance with  the  butt  end  of  a  six  shooter. 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  257 

Straightening  up  from  the  crouching  posi- 
tion in  which  he  emerged  from  the  tent,  he  ex- 
claimed, "How  d'y,  neighbor,  lemme  give  ye  a 
hand  thar."  Not  waiting  for  further  consent, 
he  strode  forward  and  set  to  work.  The  tent 
was  soon  pitched  and  the  packs  deposited 
therein,  when  reaching  down  in  the  pocket  of 
his  overalls  he  brought  forth  in  one  capacious 
paw  an  old  silver  watch,  a  jack  knife  and  a 
plug  of  chewing  tobacco.  Sorting  out  the  jack 
knife,  he  dropped  it  back  in  the  pocket,  then 
holding  the  watch  in  his  left  hand,  he  looked 
at  its  open  face  meditatively,  while  with  his 
side  teeth  he  tugged  at  the  plug  of  tobacco  which 
he  held  in  his  right.  Then,  finally  gaining  the 
chew  of  tobacco  and  a  conclusion  at  the  same 
time,  he  remarked,  "It's  plumb  noon  right  now, 
so  you  just  come  over  and  have  a  little  snack  uv 
suthin  to  eat  with  me ;  I've  done  got  a  fire  goin', 
and  it  won't  take  no  time  to  git  some  grub 
ready."  Suiting  his  movements  to  the  sugges- 
tion, he  turned  and  passed  out  of  the  tent,  stop- 
ping on  the  outside  and  holding  open  the  flap, 
calling  loudly,  "Come  on  thar,  pardner,  don't 
stop  to  do  no  fixin'  up." 

Following  him  into  his  tent,  he  commenced 
dinner  arrangements  and  a  line  of  conversation 
at  the  same  time.  Standing  over  the  litle  sheet 
iron  stove  in  the  corner  and  slicing  bacon  into 
a  frying  pan,  he  began  a  line  of  questioning  as 
follows,  "When'd  ye  git  here  ?  Where  ye  frum  ? 


258  REMINISCENT    BAMBLING8. 

What'd  ye  say  yer  name  was?"  Then,  with- 
out awaiting  a  reply  to  the  last  question,  con- 
tinued, "My  name's  Halloway,  Bill  Halloway, 
I'm  'rigin'ly  frum  Missoury,  Ozark  county, 
Missoury,  way  down  next  to  Arkinsaw,  been 
knockin'  round  out  in  these  'ere  mountuns 
though  for  goin'  on  seven  year  now."  Gathering 
up  the  bacon  rinds,  which  he  had  sliced  off,  he 
strode  across  the  tent  to  its  entrance,  and  throw- 
ing them  out  to  the  jacks,  who  had  again  re- 
turned, he  continued,  "Haint  staked  enny 
ground  yit,  I  reckon  haint  been  here  long  nufF 
to  look  round  much?  Well,  when  ye  be,  if  ye 
don't  find  nothin,  't  suits  ye  enny  better,  I'll  put 
ye  on  to  a  piece  of  ground  up  next  to  the  claim 
I'm  workin'  thet's  a  bird,  it's  jest's  good's  mine, 
and  I'm  down  'bout  ten  feet  now,  and  yew  bet 
she's  showin'  up  great.  Mangineez's  beginnin'  to 
cum  in,  un  she's  lookin  way  up,  un  I  low  she's 
goin'  ter  make  a  mine."  It  was  evident  he  had 
reached  the  danger  line  in  his  relations  with 
and  judgment  of  his  property.  A  period  which 
awaits  every  prospector  in  the  possession  and 
early  development  of  his  holdings,  the  strongest 
and  most  unmistakable  symptoms  of  which 
weakness  and  absolute  inability  to  distinguish 
its  most  glaring  signs  of  worthlessness,  and  his 
own  blind  determination  to  construe  the  same 
into  indisputable  evidence  of  a  bonanza,  is  inci- 
dentally, his  inclination  to  make  it  the  sole  topic 
of  conversation,  but  mainly  his  uncontrollable 
habit  of  sexing  the  cherished  holding,  and  a 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 


259 


never   failing   and   frequent   reference   to   the 
same  in  the  feminine  gender. 

Being  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  camp, 
and  having  no  previous  engagement  to  fulfill 
with  any  other  portion  of  it,  and  the  deep  snow 
covering  and  concealing  the  entire  surface,  it 


Bill  Halloway  takes  the  children  for  a  ride  about  the  camp. 

seemed  wise  to  accept  the  man's  proposition  and 
locate  the  ground  he  recommended. 

As  time  passed  and  a  more  thorough 
acquaintance  and  closer  relationship  was  grad- 
ually formed,  Bill  Halloway  proved  a  genial, 
whole-souled  fellow  on  all  occasions,  a  good 
neighbor  down  in  the  little  camp  on  the  drain, 


260  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

and  an  agreeable  owner  of  adjoining  property 
up  in  the  hills,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  at 
intervals  he  made  a  few  good  natured  displays 
of  harmless  little  combinations  of  Missouri  and 
"Arkinsaw"  habits  acquired  in  his  early  home 
down  there  on  the  border.  And  hence,  when  on 
occasional  sprees  he  patroled  the  little  home 
camp,  and  roared  and  laughed  and  whooped,  and 
fired  his  six  shooter  right  and  left  into  the  air, 
and  scattered  handfuls  of  bright  colored  candies 
broadcast  upon  the  snow,  the  children  followed 
and  flocked  about  him  as  joyous,  fearless  and 
lovingly  as  when,  in  his  condition  of  most  in- 
tense sobriety,  he  fondly  and  patiently  toiled  in 
the  arrangement  of  a  harness  from  lash  ropes 
and  pack  saddle  cinches,  and  hitched  the  largest 
and  gentlest  of  his  two  jacks  to  an  improvised 
sleigh  which  he  had  rudely  constructed  for  them 
out  of  goods  boxes,  and  loaded  them  all  in  for 
a  ride  about  the  camp. 

The  writer's  discovery  shaft  had  reached  a 
depth  of  ten  feet,  and  as  he  could  no  longer 
throw  out  the  material  with  a  shovel,  it  became 
necessary  to  resort  to  the  use  of  a  windlass  and 
climb  out  of  the  hole  each  time  the  bucket  was 
filled,  and  hoist  it  to  the  surface  and  dump  it,  and 
lower  it  back  into  place,  and  then  climb  down 
again  and  refill  it,  which  was  a  slow  and  labo- 
rious process,  and  one  in  which  Halloway  had 
for  some  time  past  been  engaged. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  261 

And  so,  born  of  a  necessity  which  had  now 
arisen,  and  which  our  individual  conditions 
were  incapable  of  relieving,  and  which  was 
unquestionably  withholding  from  the  world's 
supply  of  precious  metals  the  combined  product 
of  two  bonanzas,  we  conceived  the  idea,  (in  the 
absence  of  capital)  of  avoiding  the  expensive 
demands  of  hired  labor,  and  to  that  end  formed  a 
sort  of  development  trust,  or,  more  strictly 
speaking,  a  co-operative  organization  wherein  the 
combined  force  of  the  two  properties,  consisting 
of  himself  and  myself,  should  operate  them 
alternately,  working  his  claim  one  day  (which 
claim  as  announced  upon  his  claim  stake  was 
the  "Pijjuntoad  Pol,"  and  which  Bill  had 
named  in  honor  of  a  certain  siren  down  at  the 
Arbor  dance  hall,  who  executed  with  exceeding 
excellence  certain  steps  and  maneuvers  employed 
at  dances  in  the  region  about  Bill's  home  on  the 
Arkansas  border. )  The  following  day  the  -entire 
force  would  be  transferred  to  the  "OT1  Des- 
perandum"  which  was  the  writer's  claim,  and 
thus  the  plants  of  the  two  properties  were  oper- 
ated to  their  fullest  capacity,  and  to  the  best 
possible  advantage. 

Yet,  still  in  the  midst  of  this  finally  arranged 
and  seemingly  fortunate  alliance  (with  the 
shadowy  form  of  prosperity  hovering  so  close 
that  already  our  dreamy  vision  had  identified 
it,  and  all  possible  surprise  had  given  way  to 
eagerness  for  its  nearer  approach  and  a  final  em- 


262  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

brace)  there  lurked  another  detachment  of  that 
subtle  foe,  misfortune. 

The  following  day  was  Christmas,  and  all 
day  long  the  hallowed  influence  of  its  near 
approach  had  been  noticeable  in  Bill  as  he  toiled 
and  talked  of  its  coming.  There  was  a  notice- 
able rattling  of  the  stove  lids  and  fry  pans, 
together  with  the  tin  cups  and  plates  that  night 
in  Bill's  tent,  as  he  prepared  his  evening  meal 
and  later  washed  and  wiped  the  dishes,  which 
evidenced  uncommon  haste,  and  so  far  exceeded 
the  writer's  similar  labors  in  the  result  of  final 
accomplishment,  that  he  was  still  eating  when, 
peering  in,  he  called,  "Come  on,  pardner,  les' 
go  over  to  town  un  see  Santy  Claws."  Making 
the  excuse  of  unfinished  household  work,  the 
truth  of  which  was  self-evident,  he  departed 
with  a  final  admonition  to  "hurry  up  and  come 
over." 

An  hour  or  more  had  elapsed  since  his  de- 
parture, while  his  instructions  yet  remained 
unheeded,  for,  having  arranged  the  supper 
dishes,  mixed  a  batch  of  sour  dough  bread  and 
placed  it  in  the  oven  to  bake,  washed  a  red 
bandana  handkerchief  and  hung  it  close  beside 
the  little  sheet  iron  stove  to  dry,  then,  in  further 
effort  tending  toward  improvement  of  personal 
appearance  in  preparation  for  the  coming  Christ- 
mas festivities,  the  writer  sat  patching  a  huge 
rent  in  his  overalls,  when,  from  over  in  the 
direction  of  town,  came  the  Bang !  Bang !  Bang ! 


EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  263 

of  a  six  shooter,  followed  by  a  whoop  and  yell 
so  familiar  that  there  no  longer  remained  any 
doubt  as  to  Bill's  having  found  Santa  Glaus. 
It  was  late,  when  the  noise  of  his  demonstrations 
having  finally  ceased,  the  rent  in  the  overalls 
having  been  closed,  and  its  location  now  denoted 
only  by  a  broad  irregular  seam  toward  which 
a  cluster  of  wrinkles  pointed  from  every  direc- 
tion, the  writer  stole  cautiously  forth  over  into 
the  town  and  down  its  single  yet  crowded 
thoroughfare,  watching  closely  for  Bill,  not  with 
a  view  of  acquiring  his  society,  but  rather  to 
avoid  it,  and  wondering  meanwhile  that  his 
location  remained  so  unmarked  by  further 
sounds  of  Christmas  cheer  on  his  part,  when 
finally  concluding  that  possibly  the  strong  arm 
of  the  law  had  interposed  an  objection  to  his 
monopoly  of  cheerfulness,  and  had  forced  him 
into  silence  through  durance  vile,  strolled  on 
viewing  the  sights  and  visiting  the  old  familiar 
haunts  in  their  regular  order,  when  finally  the 
dance  hall  was  reached  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
street,  radiant  with  light  and  the  decorations  of 
pine  and  spruce  bough,  crowded  to  the  open 
doorway  with  a  horde  of  human  beings  whose 
numbers  seemed  greater  than  ever  before,  whose 
characters  were  even  more  varied,  as  well  as 
the  purposes  which  brought  them  hither. 

Approaching  the  open  doorway,  no  sound  of 
music  accompanying  a  cotillion  or  Virginia  reel 
interspersed  with  the  loud  and  regular  tones  of 
the  caller  was  heard,  but  instead  of  these  there 


264:  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

rose  above  the  hum  of  voices  the  sweet  low 
strains  of  a  Christmas  carol.  The  dealers  sat 
idly  at  their  tables  watching  the  merry,  motley 
throng,  while  the  man  at  the  roulette  wheel,  to 
while  away  the  time  and  incidentally  call  the 
players  thither,  spun  the  little  ball  around  its 
course  with  clock-work  regularity,  unable,  how- 
ever, to  attract  the  attention  he  sought.  For 
upon  this  house  devoted  to  ribald  revelry,  there 
had,  for  the  time,  fallen  the  hush  of  a  hallowed 
influence  that  so  completely  overshadowing  vice, 
checked  the  maddest  in  their  career,  so  purified 
the  very  atmosphere  that  was  wont  to  be,  that 
even  the  most  chaste  and  timid  passer-by  paused 
to  note  the  change  within. 

Entering  and  elbowing  a  passage  through  the 
good-natured,  joyous  crowd,  stopping  now  to 
exchange  a  holiday  greeting  with  some  neigh- 
boring knight  of  the  hills,  and  again  to  convince 
another  (whose  cheer  had  reached  the  stage  of 
wholesale  entertainment)  of  the  imperative 
causes  and  attending  sorrow  of  declination,  at 
last  turned  to  the  right,  and  there,  curled  up  on 
a  faro  table  (not  in  use),  the  broad  brimmed 
sombrero  resting  close  beside  him,  and  in  its 
absence  his  head  sheltered  beneath  the  protecting 
branches  of  a  huge  Christmas  tree  which  reared 
itself  from  a  large  dry  goods  box  nearby, 
its  myriad  of  candles  shed  their  light  full  upon 
the  slumbering  form  of  Bill  Halloway. 

Apparently  unable  to  longer  follow  the  swift 
journeyings  of  his  friend,  St.  Nicholas,  he  had 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  265 

abandoned  further  attempt  and  cast  himself 
down,  a  devoted,  admiring,  now  senseless  wor- 
shipper at  the  shrine  of  his  creation,  while  the 
faint  traces  of  a  lingering  smile  of  joyous  resig- 
nation still  rested  upon  his  freckled  and  sun- 
burned features,  further  heightened  and  intensi- 
fied through  the  direct  rays  of  a  tallow  dip 
nestled  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  a  bough 
which  closely  overhung  his  head.  It  was  indeed 
a  scene  to  be  preserved,  if  from  no  other  motive 
than  consideration  of  those  who  had  enjoyed 
the  last  few  hours  of  his  preceding  wakefulness. 
And  stealing  softly  away,  the  writer  placed  him- 
self beyond  the  limit  of  any  possible  contribu- 
tion to  his  awakening. 

For  some  time  his  slumbers  had  continued, 
when  suddenly  loud  shouts  of  laughter  arose 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  Christmas  tree,  attended 
by  a  surging  crowd  in  that  direction.  Ap- 
proaching as  closely  as  possible,  there  was  seen 
sitting  upon  the  edge  of  the  faro  table,  his  long 
legs  hanging  listlessly  below,  his  body  inclined 
forward  and  braced  laterally  by  his  arms,  what 
otherwise  appeared  the  form  of  Halloway,  save 
that  in  place  of  the  familiar  and  time-honored 
sombrero  with  its  enormous  brim,  there  rested 
demurely  upon  his  head  the  little  skull  cap  of  an 
ancient  alchemist.  And  there  he  sat,  stupidly 
gazing  at  the  boisterous,  laughing  crowd  before 
him,  as  yet  but  half  conscious  of  himself  being 
the  object  of  their  jest.  And  sitting  thus  he 
awaited  the  fading  of  his  stupor  and  the  final 


266  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

dawn  of  a  full  realization  of  the  truth.  And 
yet  the  mystery  of  its  cause  remained  to  him 
unsolved,  until,  still  sitting  there,  his  eyes  rested 
upon  the  huge  mirror  which  confronted  him 
from  behind  the  bar,  and  therein  he  saw  him- 
self as  others  saw  him.  Reaching  up,  he  quickly 
removed  the  insignificant  headgear,  held  it  an 
instant  before  his  wondering  gaze,  then  quickly 
turning  about  in  search  of  his  own,  his  eyes  fell 
upon  a  circle  of  felt  with  a  large  round  hole 
in  its  center,  through  which  appeared  the  bright 
green  covering  of  the  faro  table  upon  which  it 
rested.  In  an  instant  the  truth  was  revealed. 
Some  facetious  fiend  had,  while  he  slept,  sto- 
len up  and  passing  a  sharp  knife  about  the 
crown  at  its  point  of  union  with  the  brim,  com- 
pletely separated  the  two,  and  leaving  the 
parts  otherwise  undisturbed  and  occupying  their 
respective  relations  to  each  other,  the  crime  re- 
mained unnoticed  until  Bill  finally  arising,  and 
in  a  half  aroused  and  stupefied  condition,  invol- 
untarily possessed  himself  of  and  placed  the 
treasured  holding  upon  his  head,  unmindful  of 
the  fact  that  the  crown  and  brim  had  severed 
their  connection  with  each  other,  and  thereby 
forever  destroyed  the  happy  combination  that 
had  so  long  been  the  object  of  his  deepest  pride 
and  the  bulwark  of  his  entire  happiness.  For 
a  brief  space  he  stood  paralyzed  and  speechless, 
then  awakening  from  the  horrible  dream  into 
a  full  realization  of  its  reality,  he  turned  in  the 
frenzy  of  his  outraged  feelings,  and  with  his  face 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  267 

blanched  with  the  pent  up  poison  of  indescrib- 
able hatred  and  anger,  his  speech  stifled  with 
curses,  and  with  his  hand  upon  his  six 
shooter,  he  slowly  advanced  toward  the  crowd 
which  confronted  him  and  which  now  surged 
backward  to  escape  his  wrath,  demanding  to 
know  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed.  Ex- 
asperated at.  the  sudden  cessation  of  mirth 
(which  in  itself  conveyed  the  impression  of 
general  complicity  and  wholesale  guilt)  and 
unable  to  obtain  an  utterance  or  expression 
of  any  kind  from  a  single  one  of  the  great 
number  about  him,  he  burst  into  renewed  frenzy, 
and  jerking  the  six  shooter  from  its  holster,  fired 
two  shots  in  rapid  succession  close  above  the 
heads  of  his  audience,  much  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, it  seemed,  that  a  speaker  might  sound  the 
gavel,  but  with  far  different  effect,  for  in  place 
of  bringing  the  meeting  to  order  it  precipitated 
a  frightful  state  of  disorder  which  Bill  aug- 
mented by  occasional  additional  shots  and  a 
torrent  of  threats,  abuse  and  blasphemy,  as  the 
crowd  rushed  pell  mell  in  all  directions  for 
escape. 

Enjoying  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  than 
the  balance  with  the  outraged  individual,  and 
prophesying  closely  the  results  which  would  fol- 
low, and  preferring  to  witness  the  affair  from  an 
absolutely  neutral  and  unprejudiced  standpoint, 
the  writer  had  timed  his  retreat  so  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  balance  as  to  be  well  outside  the 
building  when  the  general  stampede  commenced. 


268  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

And  now,  as  he  charged  about  the  almost  empty 
hall,  occupied  only  by  a  few  who,  like  the  bar- 
tender were  penned  in  during  the  stampede,  his 
ragings  rose  and  fell  like  the  hush  and  howl 
of  a  mighty  tempest,  as,  approaching  one  of 
his  captives,  he  quieted  down  into  a  pathetic 
appeal  for  some  evidence  in  the  case,  then, 
gazing  again  with  uncontrollable  grief  and  anger 
upon  the  mutilated  remains  of  the  loved  som- 
brero, burst  forth  anew  with  frenzy  so  fierce 
that  the  very  lights  in  the  Christmas  tree 
flickered  and  burned  dim  in  the  poisonous  at- 
mosphere of  his  wrath. 

All  the  Christmas  day  which  followed,  Bill 
sulked  in  his  tent,  issuing  forth  only  a  few  times 
and  in  a  hurried  manner  in  search  of  some  pos- 
sible clue  which  had  suggested  itself  to  his 
gloomy  thought,  and  each  time  returning  with 
a  fresh  store  of  disappointment  and  depression. 
Entering  his  tent  Christmas  morning,  he  was 
found  alone  in  his  grief  and  silent  anger,  with 
needle  and  thread,  tearfully  engaged  in  the  al- 
most pathetic  and  hopeless  task  of  restoring 
to  the  glorious,  but  dethroned  brim,  the  crown 
to  which  it  was  entitled.  And  now,  unable  to 
endure  the  insufferable  sorrow  and  degradation, 
heightened  by  the  constant  scenes  of  his  humili- 
ating misfortune,  and  the  indignity  it  had 
heaped  upon  him,  and  powerless  to  redress  his 
wrong  through  fear  of  injuring  an  innocent 
party  (for  Bill  was  a  just  man)  he,  the  follow- 
ing morning  folded  his  tent,  packed  the  two 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  269 

jacks,  and  shouldering  his  rifle,  silently  and  sor- 
rowfully stole  away  out  of  the  camp  and  over 
the  hills  to  the  north,  taking  with  him  the  key 
to  the  co-operative  scheme  so  recently  inaugu- 
rated, and  so  successfully  operated,  ignoring 
and  heartlessly  deserting  the  Pij  juntoad  Pol  and 
the  riches  it  had  in  store  for  him,  and  enforcing 
upon  the  writer's  part  the  same  attitude  toward 
the  Nil  Desperandum. 

And  now  that  Bill  had  finally  departed, 
the  writer  wandered,  desolate  and  discour- 
aged, back  to  the  scene  of  previous  operations 
and,  leaning  against  the  windlass  of  his  own 
claim,  viewed  with  grief  the  two  now  silent  and 
abandoned  workings ;  then  far  out  across  the 
valley  and  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  towering 
Sangre  de  Christos,  saw  the  retreating  forms  of 
Bill  and  the  two  jacks,  now  mere  specks  in  the 
distance  as  they  moved  slowly  northward  over 
the  frozen  snow.  Little  by  little  they  moved  on 
and  out  of  sight,  and  with  their  final  disap- 
pearance seemed  to  fade  the  last  ray  of  hope. 
Rousing  from  the  melancholy  of  the  surround- 
ings, the  writer  gathered  up  the  remaining  tools, 
and  dejectedly  wended  his  way  back  to  the  now 
lonely  camp  upon  the  drain,  passed  in  approach- 
ing his  own  tent  over  the  site  recently  occupied 
by  that  of  Bill's,  and  stepping  upon  the  mattress 
of  pine  boughs  which  had  been  his  bed,  noticed 
beneath  his  feet,  and  partially  concealed  by  the 


270  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

evergreens,  a  letter  soiled  and  worn.    Picking  it 
up,  he  unfolded  the  sheet  and  read  as  follows : 

November  Tth,  1878. 
My  Dear  Son: 

I  got  your  last  letter  you  wrote  frum  Silver- 
ton  in  the  San  Juan  country,  and  it  found  us  all 
in  good  helth,  and  we  was  all  glad  to  here  thet 
you  was  enjoin  the  same. 

I  hev  sent  you  too  pares  of  wollin  socks  and 
a  pare  of  yarn  mittuns  thet  I  nit  fer  you  fer 
crismas.  We  got  wurd  the  uther  day  thet  they 
got  thet  hafbrede  stock  rusler  thet  kild  youre 
poor  bruther  Tom  over  in  the  nashun  last  fall. 
They  sent  Tom's  belongings  to  us  sum  time  ago 
and  I  sent  his  gun  and  belt  rite  on  to  you  soons 
I  got  em  and  also  that  broad  brim  hat  he  wore 
thet  you  tuJc  such  a  lifcin  to  when  you  was  home 
last  time  fer  I  want  you  to  hev  um  Bill  fer 
keapsakes. 

Write  to  us  reel  oftun  and  let  us  no  if  you 
got  the  box  alrite  and  how  youre  gittin  along 
all  the  time  and  hopin  youle  hev  the  marist  kind 
of  a  crismas  I  remane, 

Youre  luvin  mother 

MIRANDA  HALLOWAY. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Bill  Halloway  had  gone  but  a  few  days 
when,  lonely  in  the  absence  of  his  genial  and  hos- 
pitable society,  unable  to  form  a  like  alliance 
with  another  neighboring  operator,  and  discour- 
aged in  further  attempts  to  resume  operations 
upon  his  own  claim,  (the  very  name  of  which 
now  in  utter  helplessness  became  a  hollow 
mockery)  the  writer  followed  the  course  of  Bill, 
and  packing  the  little  outfit  on  the  back  of  the 
wise  mule  (who  from  the  very  first  had  shown 
his  disapproval  of  the  undertaking)  wended  his 
way  dejectedly  over  the  hills  and  out  of  the 
camp. 

That  all  human  kind,  of  whatsoever  age,  are 
but  children  of  larger  growth  is  everywhere  and 
at  all  times  evidenced  by  their  fanciful  ideas 
of  the  desirability,  and  the  absurd  and  fictitious 
value  which  they  place  upon  all  things  beyond 
their  reach ;  and  distance  but  lends  intensity  to 
the  emerald  hue.  In  this,  no  class  ranks  those 
engaged  in  the  search  for  precious  metals.  A 
neighboring  country,  still  retained  by  the  In- 
dian, grows  daily  more  alluring  until  its  soil 
possesses  a  richness  unheard  of,  while  its  moun- 
tain sides  and  the  sands  of  its  streams  simply 
glitter  with  gold. 

18 


272  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Such  was  the  estimation  in  which  had  long 
been  held  that  great  area  lying  west  of  the  main 
range  in  Colorado,  and  known  as  the  Ute  Indian 
reservation,  the  demands  upon  the  Government 
for  the  opening  of  which  were  now  rapidly 
growing.  Notwithstanding  the  pilgrimage  with 
Evans,  hereinbefore  related,  there  was  still  re- 
tained the  longing  and  vivid  imagination  of  con- 
ditions which  experience  had  already  shown  to 
be  false,  but  of  which  there  was  evidently  re- 
quired still  another  object  lesson  to  fully  and 
forever  impress  its  truth. 

And  now,  shut  out  from  all  other  nearer 
sources  of  wealth,  the  writer's  inclinations  nat- 
urally centered  themselves  upon  this  one  great- 
est of  all  possibilities,  this  one  main  ambition 
to  which  he  had  clung  from  the  first;  and  thus 
influenced  abruptly  shaped  the  pack  mule's 
course  for  Denver  to  await  the  opening  of 
spring,  the  melting  of  the  deep  snows  which  lay 
to  the  west  of  the  main  range,  and  the  first  op- 
portunity to  again  enter  that  far  away  and  phan- 
tom treasure  vault.  Awaiting  all  this,  the  horse 
and  mule  were  housed  in  Bailey's  corral  at  Wa- 
zee  and  Sixteenth  streets,  and  accepting  the 
position  of  day  clerk  at  the  Planters  hotel  im- 
mediately adjoining,  we  together  settled  down  to 
await  the  coming  of  spring. 

Great  crowds  en  route  to  Leadville  filled  the 
hofel  to  overflowing,  and  the  mule  would  stand 
for  hours  at  the  corral  fence  and  look  across  the 
alley  into  the  hotel  windows,  his  face  lighted  up 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  273 

with  approval  and  satisfaction  at  the  enormous 
trade  the  house  was  having,  and  the  hope  that  in 
the  rush  of  business,  further  campaigns  in  the 
mountains  would  be  overlooked,  while  he  re- 
mained undisturbed  and  happy. 

The  time  finally  came,  however,  when  the 
snows  upon  the  high  and  little  traveled  passes 
of  the  Saguache  range  had  melted  to  an  extent 
that  rendered  passage  with  pack  animals  pos- 
sible. 

The  Ute  Indian  reservation  comprised  an 
immense  tract  of  about  eighteen  thousand  square 
miles;  about  equal  to  the  combined  areas  of 
Vermont  and  ^N"ew  Hampshire.  Its  eastern 
boundaries  followed  the  line  of  the  107th  mer- 
idian from  a  point  a  short  distance  above  the 
38th  parallel  northward  a  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles.  Between  this  eastern 
boundary  and  the  Continental  Divide  (of  which 
the  Saguache  range  formed  a  part)  existed 
a  streteh  of  broken  and  mountainous  country, 
varying  in  width  from  twenty-five  to  seventy- 
five  miles,  owing  to  the  irregular  course  of  the 
main  Cordilleras. 

The  southern  half  of  this  belt  of  territory 
was  drained  by  the  Gunnison  river,  and  was 
familiarly  known  as  the  "Gunnison  country." 

This  section  bordered  that  portion  of  the  res- 
ervation believed  to  possess  the  greatest  mineral 
resources,  and  toward  it  now  flocked  great  num- 
bers of  adventurous  spirits  filled  with  visions  of 


274  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

success  and  the  enthusiasm  of  an  uncertainty; 
eager  in  their  ambition  to  be  as  near  the  border 
as  possible  when  the  gates  to  the  coveted  realm 
should  finally  be  opened,  and  meanwhile  to  ex- 
plore the  bordering  domain  referred  to,  of  which 
little  more  was  actually  known  than  of  the  res- 
ervation itself,  and  which,  in  the  minds  of  the 
imaginative  horde  of  fortune  hunters,  must  cer- 
tainly be  strewn  with  a  greater  or  less  amount 
of  treasure  which  had  naturally  spilled  over  the 
eastern  edge  of  the  overflowing  storehouse  of  the 
Utes. 

Aside  from  this,  being  close  to  the  line 
afforded  possible  opportunities  to  make  little 
pilgrimages  across  the  boundary  and  familiarize 
oneself  with  the  trails  and  general  topography 
in  advance  of  the  rush  which  would  soon  follow. 

The  time  finally  arrived  when  the  snows  had 
melted  upon  the  high  mountain  passes  to  an 
extent  that  permitted  crossing,  and  only  the 
swollen  streams  interfered  seriously  with  travel 
across  country  and  along  unfrequented  routes. 

Two  English  lads,  named  Walter  R.  Askew 
and  Percy  Ramsden,  who,  characteristic  of  their 
race,  had  left  their  homes  in  the  British  Isles, 
not  for  a  campaign  through  the  parks  of  a 
neighboring  country,  but  upon  a  pilgrimage  far 
out  across  the  Atlantic  and  through  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  newest  portions  of  a  new  world,  had 
reached  Denver.  Both  were  evidently  of  excel- 
lent family,  and  possessed,  aside  from  natur- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  275 

ally  inherent  graces,  a  good  education,  together 
with  ample  funds  for  all  necessities,  and  being 
inclined  toward  establishing  a  residence  in  the 
land,  (though  their  maiden  efforts  and  experi- 
ence led  them  an  out-of-door,  adventurous  fron- 
tier life  to  which  they  were  not  averse)  it  was 
quickly  arranged  that  they  should  unite  with  the 
writer  in  extended  wanderings  about  the  border 
lands  of  the  Utes. 

All  in  readiness,  the  little  cavalcade  filed 
out  of  Denver,  and  toward  the  great  range  of 
mountains  in  another  attack  upon  the  treasure 
vaults  that  lay  beyond. 

It  was  early  in  the  season  yet,  and  crossing 
South  Park  and  the  Park  range,  and  entering 
the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  our  course  led  over 
Poncha  pass,  into  the  San  Luis  valley,  westward 
up  the  Saguache  river  to  its  head,  then  across 
the  Cochetopa  hills  and  down  Cochetopa  and 
Tomochi  creeks  to  the  Gunnison  river.  From 
far  away  up  on  the  forks  of  this  stream  rumors 
had  been  for  some  time  current  concerning  rich 
discoveries  of  gold  and  silver,  and  already  little 
bands  had  centered  at  certain  points  called 
camps,  to  each  of  which  had  already  been  given 
a  name,  and  who  vied  with  each  other  in  the  al- 
luring tales  sent  forth  of  the  wealth  possessed. 

Some  ten  or  twelve  miles  above  the  Gunni- 
son river  forked,  its  easterly  branch  being 
known  as  Taylor  river  and  having  its  head  in 


276  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

that  great  open  country  or  park  into  which 
Evans  and  the  writer  had  two  years  previously 
found  their  way  in  escaping  from  the  Utes.  The 
remaining  branch  continued  more  northerly, 
where  its  nascent  waters  emanated  from  fields 
of  snow  in  that  rugged  range  known  as  the  Elk 
mountains. 

Up  this  last  mentioned  fork,  a  route  was  fol- 
lowed past  "Jack's  cabin,"  some  fifteen  miles 
above,  a  lonely  abode  on  the  easterly  bluffs  of 
the  river  and  the  only  settlement  for  many  miles 
about  save  the  camp  of  the  wandering  prospector 
who  was  now  beginning  to  appear. 

"Jack"  was  a  character  known  by  nearly  all 
the  Indians  to  the  west,  and  for  many  years 
known  of,  in  the  white  settlements  far  to  the 
east.  ~No  one  seemed  to  know  his  other  name, 
or  from  whence  he  came,  or  inquired.  He  was 
a  "large  raw-boned,  black  whiskered,  good  na- 
tured,  hospitable  frontiersman,  who  dwelt  here 
alone  in  a  log  cabin  built  by  himself,  and  may, 
so  far  as  known,  have  been  the  original  subject 
of  the  mythical  man  and  house.  Jack  was  a 
hunter  and  trapper,  professionally,  while  inci- 
dentally he  cultivated  a  little  garden  patch  near 
the  cabin  and  washed  some  gold  from  the  river 
at  the  foot  of  the  bluff. 

The  saddles  of  an  elk,  recently  shot,  hung 
from  the  limb  of  a  tree  near  the  river  bank,  and 
purchasing  a  quantity  thereof,  \ve  moved  on  up 
the  stream  a  further  distance  of  six  or  eight 
miles,  where  the  stream  again  forked,  forming 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  277 

a  westerly  branch  known  as  Slate  river,  and 
an  easterly  one  known  as  East  river. 

Up  Slate  river  some  six  miles  from  its  mouth 
and  upon  the  point  of  land  separating  the  two 
forks  aforementioned,  there  rose  from  the  cre- 
taceous beds  forming  the  surface,  a  butte  or  iso- 
lated mountain  of  porphyretic  trachyte,  being  a 
fragment  remaining  from  the  erosion  of  the  pre- 
existing great  sheet  of  this  matter,  which  once 
covered  the  section.  Its  crest  rose  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  over  twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  and  to  over  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  valley  which  surrounded  it.  It  was 
one  of  the  heroic  statues  in  the  great  gallery  of 
the  region,  carved  by  nature  from  the  endless 
mass  with  her  varied  tools  of  rain,  snow,  frost, 
ice,  etc.,  and  forming  a  giant  sentinel  of  the 
valley  known  as  Crested  Butte,  whose  towering 
form  could  be  seen  from  afar  by  the  wan- 
dering prospector  as  he  journeyed  up  the  drain- 
age of  the  Gunison  en  route  to  the  Elk  mountain. 

On  the  westerly  bank  of  Slate  river,  directly 
opposite  the  butte,  a  camp  was  already  started, 
which  bore  the  name  of  the  towering  mass  which 
confronted  it.  Thither  we  shaped  our  course, 
and  for  the  time  cast  our  lot  with  the  motley 
little  throng  which  had  preceded. 

The  camp  was  yet  embryological  indeed. 
Only  one  saloon  graced  the  settlement,  that  kept 
by  a  burly  old  German  named  Burns,  together 
with  his  wife,  a  plodding,  industrious  German, 
who  yet  spoke  English  with  difficulty.  Each 


278  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

were  possessed  of  the  prosperous  air  that  be- 
speaks an  extensive  trade  and  lack  of  competi- 
tion. In  further  explanation  of  which,  though 
they  had  settled  in  the, camp  some  time  since, 
and  business  had  been  brisk  meanwhile,  and 
the  small  stock  of  goods  which  attended  their 
arrival  having  displayed  but  one  moderate  sized 
package  that  might  contain  whiskey,  and  no 
consignment  having  since  reached  them,  and  the 
stock  bearing  no  evidence  of  becoming  exhausted, 
it  was  soon  generally  accepted  that  they  under- 
stood the  business  in  which  they  were  engaged 
thoroughly,  were  solvent,  prosperous  and  enti- 
tled to  a  flattering  degree  of  credit;  and  no 
further  questions  arose  save  when  some  regular 
and  wholesale  patron  reached  a  condition  so  crit- 
ical as  to  require  a  body  guard,  or  another  was 
transported  over  the  range  and  far  away  to  the 
lunatic  asylum  at  Pueblo;  until  one  day  Burns 
lost  his  recipe  for  the  manufacture  of  his  goods, 
and  a  party  finding  it  and  determining  that  the 
total  cost  of  production  was  but  fifty  cents  per 
gallon,  decided  to  enter  into  competition  with 
him.  And  here  Burns'  downfall  began,  to  liasten 
which  he  imbibed  freely  of  his  own  whiskey, 
which  he  had  heretofore  rigidly  shunned ;  until 
declining  health,  fortune  and  final  death  closed 
his  heretofore  prosperous  career. 

The  camp  was  one  whose  resources  embraced 
not  only  gold  and  silver,  but  in  the  upper  cre- 
taceous beds,  whose  exposed  edges  presented 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 


279 


themselves  in  the  bluffs  of  Slate  river  valley  on 
the  west  and  north,  and  which  through  the 
agency  of  eruptive  forces  were  uplifted  into  high 
mountain  ranges  farther  away, 
there  occurred  exposed,  work- 
able measures  of  the  finest  coal, 
which  as  yet  was  of  but  little 
use  save  for  the  limited  domes- 
tic requirements  which  ex- 
isted upon  the  ground. 

In  "O-be-Joyful"  gulch, 
which  led  into   Slate  river 
from  the   west,   rich   silver 
ore  had  been  found ;  also  in 
Poverty  gulch  farther  to  the 
north.    Poverty  gulch,  however, 
was  regarded  as  somewhat  of  a 
mineral   reserve.      Well  up   in 
its  fastnesses  dwelt  an  unique 
character,    known    as    "Yank" 
Baxter.    E"o  one  seemed  to  know 
of  his  coming,  the  earliest  arriv- 
als found  him  there,  thoroughly 
established  and  with  the  gulch 
staked  from  its  mouth  well 
up  on  the  range  at  its  head.  .  ,$• 

Yank  was  a  man  of  huge 
proportions,  raw-boned,  angu- 
lar, ill-shaped,  and  unkempt. 
His  roar,  when  excited,  might  be  easily  mistaken, 
even  in  this  arid  country,  for  a  fog-horn ;  while 


"Yank"  Baxter. 


280  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

his  movements  and  manners  were  in  direct  com- 
petition with,  the  hippotamus,  especially  when 
packing  home  from  the  butte  a  goodly  supply 
of  Burns'  home-made  whiskey.  His  presence  for 
so  long  a  time  in  the  gulch  had  in  fact  driven 
out  every  other  kind  of  wild  animal,  and  only 
the  echoing  hillsides,  it  seemed,  dare  make  reply 
to  his  violent  assertions  and  frightful  impre- 
cations. Later,  when  the  district  had  attracted 
more  attention,  and  purchasers  began  to  appear 
in  search  of  property,  Yank's  holdings  were  in 
the  market,  with  the  conditions  imposed  that 
"the  feller  that  bought  it  must  bring  the  money 
right  up  into  Poverty  gulch  and  pay  it  to  him  on 
the  dump."  Only  a  few  minutes  of  Yank's  so- 
ciety was  required  on  the  part  of  a  purchaser 
unacquainted  with  him  to  form  the  impression 
that  it  was  not  a  safe  thing  to  do,  and  so  a  sale 
was  never  effected  until,  later,  Yank  died  and 
the  hazardous  conditions  were  removed. 

Nearly  opposite  the  camp  a  drain  entered 
Slate  river  from  the  east,  known  as  Washington 
gulch,  which  in  still  earlier  times  had  been  a 
placer  camp,  and  which  was  one  of  the  points 
visited  by  Evans  and  the  writer  in  their  wan- 
derings during  the  summer  of  18  77. 

Beyond  this  and  over  on  East  river  another 
little  band  had  established  a  camp  at  the  mouth 
of  Copper  creek,  a  tributary  which  entered  East 
river  from  the  east.  High  up  in  the  precipi- 
tous breaks  at  the  head  of  this  stream  a  dis- 
covery had  been  made  which  produced  masses 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  281 

of  "wire  silver"  of  marvelous  size  and  richness, 
and  which,  though  it  meant  little  in  its  indica- 
tion of  an  ore  producer  of  great  magnitude,  was 
best  calculated,  (as  ever  before  and  since)  to 
excite  and  lure  the  seeker  after  wealth,  and  thus 
drew  largely  upon  the  heretofore  contented 
owners  and  searchers  about  O-be-Joyful  and 
Poverty  gulches  to  the  west.  Amongst  the  first 
to  be  influenced  was  the  writer  and  about  the 
only  one  to  remain  unmoved  through  the  entire 
excitement  which  prevailed,  was  the  hermit  of 
Poverty  gulch,  Yank  Baxter. 

It  was  during  one  of  those  prolonged  and 
steady  rainfalls  so  frequent  during  the  early 
summer  months  upon  the  Pacific  slope  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  wherein  the  rain  drenches 
everything  without,  and  the  saturated  atmos- 
phere dampens  everything  within,  that  the  pack 
animals  were  hurried  forward  along  the  trail 
and  over  the  rolling  hills  covered  with  bunch 
grass  which  formed  the  divide  between  Slate 
and  East  rivers ;  now  and  then  plunging  through 
small  drains  grown  dense  with  willows,  and 
emerging  upon  the  opposite  bank  as  from  a 
plunge  bath,  and  at  last  descending  into  the 
little  camp  of  Gothic,  pushed  hurriedly  up 
the  one  thoroughfare,  bordered  with  tents  and 
occasional  crude  log  structures,  in  search  of 
shelter  or  a  camping  place. 

Passing  the  saloon  and  dance  hall,  the 
writer's  attention  was  attracted  to  a  Pinto  sad- 


282  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

die  pony,  close  beside  which  was  huddled  a  little 
brown  pack  mule,  each  standing  ankle  deep  in 
the  mud,  their  backs  arched  and  their  tails 
turned  to  the  storm.  The  long,  wet  ears  of  the 
little  mule  hung  dejectedly  downward,  while 
from  the  water-soaked  pack  upon  his  back  the 
rain  trickled  down  in  little  streams  into  the 
mud  below. 

There  was  something  in  the  scene  with  which 
the  writer's  mind  seemed  strikingly  familiar, 
yet  he  could  in  no  manner  correlate  it  with  any 
earthly  experience  he  had  ever  undergone;  and 
riding  on  and  into  camp  at  the  upper  end  of 
town,  he  had  fully  credited  the  impression  to 
some  dim  vision  of  pre-existence,  when  suddenly 
he  recognized  the  two  animals  as  those  of  the 
lone  prospector  with  the  condensed  cooking  out- 
fit, who  had  the  previous  summer  camped  one 
night  near  the  Hayden  Survey  outfit  at  the 
junction  of  Torrey's  fork  with  Wind  river  in 
Wyoming. 

An  hour  or  more  passed  in  drying  clothes 
when  strolling  back  down  the  street  he  found  the 
little  mule  and  saddle  pony  still  standing  where 
he  had  left  them.  Entering  the  dance  hall,  there 
standing  before  the  bar,  brandishing  the  old 
sombrero  and  haranguing  the  crowd,  was  the 
identical  individual  referred  to,  now  gloriously 
drunk,  and  as  noisy  and  demonstrative  as  he  was 
quiet,  sullen  and  unobtrusive  at  the  camp  on 
Torrey's  fork. 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed  when  he  had 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  283 

seen,  recognized  and  embraced  the  writer  with 
all  the  ardency  of  a  high  degree  of  intoxication. 
Partially  freeing  himself  from  his  clutches  he 
managed  to  make  his  way  outside,  still  clung  to, 
however,  by  his  admiring  friend.  Here  he  ap- 
pealed to  the  man's  finer  feelings  in  behalf  of 
the  horse  and  mule,  then  told  him  a  graphic  tale 
of  his  own  ill  health,  absolute  inability  to  drink 
whiskey,  and  extreme  danger  from  getting  wet, 
but  it  was  all  of  no  avail.  Then  after  a  lengthy 
argument  out  there  in  the  rain  and  mud,  the 
whole  was  compromised  through  a  final  propo- 
sition that  the  writer  should  become  his  guest 
for  the  night  in  camp.  Glancing  at  his  would-be 
host  (whose  general  tout  ensemble  is  hereinbe- 
fore described)  then  at  the  rain  soaked  bedding 
on  the  back  of  the  drenched  and  bedraggled 
mule,  and  finally  round  about  over  the  dismal, 
vapory  storm-clad  landscape,  he  fortified  him- 
self for  one  final  and  determined  declination 
of  this  unwelcome  hospitality.  ~No  great  prog- 
ress had  been  made  when  the  dark  clouds  which 
had  been  rapidly  gathering  upon  the  man's  face, 
emitted  a  storm  of  antagonism  to  his  wishes  in 
the  matter,  wherein  it  was  readily  seen,  as  he 
significantly  fumbled  at  the  old  navy  at  his 
hip,  that  further  excuses  were  now  entirely  out 
of  order  and  altogether  imprudent ;  and  so,  trail- 
ing along  with  him  and  the  two  animals  through 
the  mud  and  rain  and  the  drenched  grass  and 
willows  far  away  down  the  valley  of  East  river 
until  he  at  last  reached  a  place  that  seemed  to 


284  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

suit  him,  we  camped ;  and  when  he  had  finally 
unpacked  and  deposited  the  paraphernalia  in 
one  soggy  mass  upon  the  wet  ground,  the  shades 
of  night  were  drawing  well  about  and  adding, 
if  possible,  to  the  desolation  and  discomfort  of 
the  scene.  All  the  while  the  drunken  old  kid- 
napper had  watched  closely,  kept  himself  well  on 
the  defensive  and  given  not  the  slightest  oppor- 
tunity to  either  escape  or  get  the  drop  on  him, 
which  last  was  a  difficult  thing  for  one  unarmed 
to  accomplish. 

It  was  now  intensely  dark  when,  surrender- 
ing the  hopeless  task  of  starting  a  camp  fire, 
and  supper  seeming  not  to  be  on  his  list  of 
entertainments,  we  nestled  together  on  the  pile 
of  wet  blankets,  where  he  drew  forth  a  quart 
bottle  of  the  vilest  whiskey  and  pressed  his  at- 
tentions even  more  forcibly  than  heretofore. 
Feigning  the  utmost  pleasure  at  this  unlooked- 
for  method  of  entertainment,  the  old  pirate  was 
made  to  feel  that  he  had  at  last  struck  the 
key-note  of  his  guest's  happiness,  and  favored  by 
the  intense  darkness,  he  managed  to  waste 
large  quantities  of  the  fluid  on  his  shirt 
front  and  to  swallow  very  little,  while  os- 
tensibly clinging  lovingly  to  the  bottle.  Ap- 
preciative of  the  writer's  apparent  thirst  and 
capacity  for  absorbing  stimulants  and  not 
to  be  outdone  by  one  whose  years  denoted 
inexperience,  he  now  applied  himself  earn- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  285 

estly  to  the  task  of  acquiring  his  share  of 
the  rapidly  disappearing  refreshment. 

Soon  the  welcome  signs  of  drowsiness  made 
their  appearance.  His  speech  became  more  and 
more  incoherent,  as  gradually  he  relinquished 
his  watchfulness.  Finally  his  head  sank  upon 
his  breast,  while  he  struggled  feebly  for  an  in- 
stant to  maintain  an  upright  position,  then  rolled 
helplessly  off  the  bundle  of  bedding  into  a  pool 
of  water  by  his  side. 

For  the  following  few  minutes  the  writer  sat 
and  peered  at  him  through  the  darkness,  grati- 
fied at  the  result,  and  to  make  sure  that  he  was 
not  being  entrapped  into  an  attempt  to  escape. 
The  man's  heavy  breathing  gave  ample  evidence 
that  his  condition  was  not  counterfeit,  and  steal- 
ing over  beside  him,  the  old  cap  and  ball  Navy 
was  slipped  from  its  holster  and  deposited  care- 
fully in  the  shallow  pool  of  water  by  his  side  as 
though  it  had  fallen  there  by  chance,  and  where 
the  cap  and  priming  might  become  thoroughly 
soaked.  Then,  stealing  cautiously  away  in  the 
darkness  through  the  tangle  of  grass,  weeds  and 
brush  which  filled  the  river  bottom,  until  reach- 
ing a  point  of  safety,  the  writer  hurried  on  to 
camp. 

But  a  brief  period  of  prospecting  was  in- 
dulged in  in  the  mountains  about  Gothic,  then 
a  wandering  on  out  of  the  drainage  at  the  head 
of  East  river  and  over  the  range  to  Rock  creek 
beyond.  Here  upon  this  stream,  high  up  in 
the  range,  several  little  bands  were  gathered, 


286  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

each  endeavoring  to  attract  the  attention  neces- 
sary to  establish  a  mining  camp. 

Soon  there  came  to  this  isolated  region,  ru- 
mors of  the  discovery  of  fabulous  rich  "ruby" 
silver  ore,  by  a  prospector  named  Brennan,  in 
the  mountains  twenty  miles  to  the  southwest  and 
about  ten  miles  west  of  Crested  Butte ;  and  hur- 
rying back  over  the  range  and  down  the  head 
waters  of  Slate  river,  camp  was  made  that  night 
a  few  miles  westerly  from  Crested  Butte  on  the 
trail  leading  to  the  new  find.  Breakfast  had 
scarce  been  cooked  and  eaten  the  following  morn- 
ing, when  far  away  down  the  trail  and  through 
the  dense  timber,  came  the  voice  of  some  one 
evidently  battling  with  stubborn  pack  animals. 
As  they  drew  nearer  and  the  yells  of  command 
became  clearer,  a  strange  familiarity  accompa- 
nied them,  yet  insufficient  for  indentification. 

Finally  there  emerged  from  the  thick  timber 
into  the  little  park  surrounding  camp,  closely 
following  two  pack  jacks,  and  with  his  rifle 
thrown  across  his  shoulder,  the  tall,  brawny 
form  of  Bill  Halloway.  Busily  engaged  with 
the  jacks,  who  now  separated  as  they  entered 
the  park  in  search  of  the  rich  grass,  Bill  gave 
no  heed  until  he  was  opposite  the  camp,  when, 
looking  full  upon  the  writer,  he  stopped  short, 
passed  his  hand  across  his  eyes  as  though  to 
clear  his  vision,  then  exclaimed,  "Well  I'll  be 
d — d,  pardner,  is  that  you  ?"  For  the  following 
two  hours  or  more  the  jacks  remained  undis- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  287 

turbed,  as  with  their  packs  upon  their  backs 
they  wandered  about  the  little  park  and  feasted 
upon  its  luxurious  growths,  while  Bill  and  the 
writer  sat  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  at 
the  edge  of  the  timber  and  talked  of  the  times 
in  Silver  Cliff  the  winter  previous.  Talked  of 
everything  save  of  that  Christmas  eve  and  the 
sombrero  affair;  for  upon  his  head  still  rested 
the  loved  and  mutilated  heirloom,  the  secret  of 
his  insane  love  for  which  was  now  fully  revealed, 
yet  to  refer  to  it  in  any  direct  manner  seemed 
as  indelicate  and  unfeeling  as  reference  to  the 
fall  and  dishonor  of  his  nearest  of  kin.  Still 
a  condition  existed  which  rendered  it  imperative 
that  the  unpleasant  memory  should  be  revived, 
and  reaching  in  his  pocket  the  writer  drew  forth 
and  handed  to  him  the  Christmas  letter  from  his 
mother  found  in  his  bed  of  pine  boughs.  He 
stared  strangely  while  the  tale  of  explanation 
was  being  told,  gazed  dreamingly  for  a  time  at 
the  open  letter  before  him,  then,  placing  his 
elbow  upon  his  knee,  rested  his  head  upon  his 
hand,  his  face  turned  away,  and  thus  silently  we 
sat  there,  undisturbed  save  by  the  convulsions 
of  his  frame  during  each  spasmodic  inhalation, 
until  finally  his  grief  and  hatred  had  subsided 
in  a  measure,  and,  raising  his  head,  he  looked 
sadly  at  the  Winchester  lying  across  his  lap  and 
stroked  its  shining  barrel  softly,  soothingly  and 
thoughtfully,  as  if  in  mute  apology  at  never  yet 
having  found  warranted  employment  for  it  in 
redress  of  this,  his  one  great  wrong. 

19 


288  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Then,  rising  from  the  tree  trunk,  he  strode 
away  toward  his  jacks,  and  together  they  disap- 
peared, following  up  the  trail  that  led  to  the 
new  find.  -^ 

In  a  camp  already  formed  on  the  shores  of 
a  small  glacial  lake  near  the  foot  of  what  was 
known  as  Ruby  peak,  a  cheery  little  band  of 
hardy  prospectors  were  already  gathered. 
Amongst  the  rest  was  one  Dick  Irwin,  an  old- 
time  prospector,  from  the  mining  camp  of  Ro- 
sita.  He  was  a  man  but  little  past  forty 
years  of  age,  of  medium  stature,  a  genial,  kindly 
face,  courteous  and  unassuming  in  manner,  and 
though  so  far  as  known  his  career  had  been 
none  other  than  that  of  a  miner  and  prospector, 
yet  possessed  of  a  speech  that  was  charm- 
ing in  its  refinement.  With  these  accomplish- 
ments, coupled  with  a  mining  experience  exceed- 
ing that  of  any  present,  it  was  with  little  oppo- 
sition agreed  to  name  the  new  camp  after  him, 
and  hence  the  mining  camp  of  "Irwin"  in  Gun- 
nison  county,  Colorado. 

Irwin  had  an  elevation  of  over  ten  thousand 
feet  above  sea  level,  while  Ruby  peak  rose  to  an 
elevation  of  about  thirteen  thousand  feet.  It 
was  an  ideal  pioneer  camp  during  summer 
months,  the  forests  which  surrounded  it  being 
filled  with  game  and  the  streams  with  fish,  while 
the  clear,  cold  nights  of  this  high  elevation 
made  sleep  refreshing. 

It  was  known,  however,  to  be  located  very 
close  upon  the  reservation  line,  though  the 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  289 

107th  meridian  was  in  those  days  and  to  those 
people  a  thing  of  indefinite  location.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  the  insane  effort  the  white  man  made 
to  convince  himself  that  it  was  still  to  the  west, 
he  was  possessed  of  a  certain  mental  reservation 
that  it  was  to  the  east,  which  it  really  was,  and 
the  Indian  knew  it  even  better  than  he. 

The  horses,  mules  and  jacks  of  the  entire 
band  of  prospectors  were  having  an  easy  time, 
and  mostly  joined  in  one  big  happy  family  and 
munched  the  rich  wild  grass  which  grew  upon 
the  hill-sides  and  kept  a  good  safe  distance  from 
their  respective  saddles  and  pack  outfits  which 
were  stored  in  camp,  save  when  some  frolicsome 
bear,  with  which  the  hills  were  well  infested, 
suddenly  appeared  in  their  midst,  when  they 
would  scamper  wildly  for  home.  Nor  did  they 
do  all  the  scampering.  The  writer  recollects 
vividly  a  like  experience  in  the  same  camp,  and 
having  exercised  pretty  much  the  same  inclina- 
tions toward  haste  as  they. 

The  day  had  been  spent  alone,  far  up  on 
the  mountain  top  above  timber  line  and  well 
over  toward  the  drains  that  led  into  O-be- Joyful 
gulch.  The  afternoon  was  well  gone  when  re- 
turning, the  soft  mellow  light  of  a  setting  sun 
shed  its  rich  effulgence  upon  the  luxurious  pine 
and  spruce  bough  as  the  writer  hurried  down- 
ward toward  camp  yet  a  mile  or  more  distant. 

Passing  through  a  thicket  of  underbrush  and 
emerging  into  a  little  glade  or  park  where  the 


290  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

drain  widened,  and  hearing  a  slight  noise,  he 
turned  to  the  right  and  saw,  sitting  not  ten  yards 
distant,  a  good  sized  bear,  busily  engaged  in 
tearing  to  pieces  an  old  rotten  log  and  devour- 
ing the  insects  he  found  therein.  Instantly  he 
ceased  his  operations  and,  turning  his  head, 
looked  over  his  shoulder  while  an  amused  ex- 
pression mingled  with  mild  surprise  overspread 
his  face.  Then,  rising  upon  his  hind  legs,  he 
toddled  over  to  where  the  writer  was  standing, 
balancing  sidewise,  backward  and  forward,  and 
circling  about,  now  farther  away,  then  so  close 
that  his  hot  breath  was  plainly  felt  in  the  face, 
as  with  mouth  wide  open,  he  grinned  good  na- 
turedly.  As  it  was,  I  was  wholly  unarmed,  save 
the  pick  and  shovel  carried  upon  my  shoulder 
and  which  lent  a  certain  dignity  as  I  turned 
around  and  around  in  keeping  face  to  the  bear. 
Tiring  of  this,  he  would  throw  himself  upon 
the  ground  and  roll  about,  raise  upon  his 
haunches  and  sit  there  and  think  seriously  for 
a  while,  then  he  would  walk  up  and  sniff  about 
my  feet,  and  up  along  the  leg  of  my  overalls  to 
about  the  knee,  then  back  to  my  feet  and 
up  along  the  other  leg,  while  I  each  time 
involuntarily  raised  upon  my  toes  in  the  effort 
to  get  out  of  reach.  Finally  he  would 
again  raise  upon  his  hind  ilegs  and  engage 
in  another  "all  hands  round,"  and  I  danced 
attentively  in  each  set,  while  the  pick  and  shovel 
on  my  shoulder  lent  a  sort  of  military  grace 
to  my  movements  meanwhile.  And  again  I  felt 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 


291 


that  I  was  being  kidnapped  for  social  purposes, 
and  this  time  by  a  bear.  And  although  the  bear 
was  sober,  and,  so  far,  good  natured,  and  the 
weather  extremely  pleasant,  I  somehow  failed  to 
fully  enter  into  an  appreciation  of  the  atten- 
tion I  was  receiving,  and  racked  my  brain  for 


"And  I  danced  attentively  in  each  set." 

some  safe  method  of  departure.  Then  the 
thought  occurred  of  a  bear's  fondness  for  sweet 
meats.  Down  in  Denver  there  had  stood  upon 
the  street  corners  for  a  year  or  more  past  a 
tall,  lank  vendor  whose  constant  cry  of  "Rocky 
Mountain  Cough  Drops,  warranted  to  cure 


292  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

coughs,  colds  and  sore  throat,  only  ten  cents 
a  sack,"  arrested  the  attention  of  the  passer  by ; 
to  an  occasional  one  of  whom,  including  the 
writer,  he  shoveled  from  a  huge  pile  before  him 
into  a  paper  bag  the  amount  required.  Having 
caught  a  slight  cold  a  day  or  so  previous,  and 
happening  to  have  a  small  supply  at  hand, 
reached  in  the  hip  pocket  of  my  overalls,  ex- 
tracted one  and  held  it  out  towards  him  tempt- 
ingly. He  stopped  his  cavorting  about,  ambled 
up,  sniffed  it  gingerly,  then  daintily  accepted  it 
from  my  fingers,  dropped  on  all  fours,  and  com- 
menced eating  it,  looking  up  sidewise  at  inter- 
vals to  assure  himself  that  it  was  not  a  dream, 
and  to  inquire  further  if  the  supply  was  liable 
to  hold  out.  Finishing  this,  he  again  rose  to 
his  hind  feet  and  presented  himself  for  another 
serving.  He  was  handed  the  second  one,  and 
while  he  chewed  away  at  it,  and  it  stuck  to 
his  teeth  and  delayed  him,  the  remaining  stock 
was  scattered  about  in  the  grass  in  front  of 
his  nose,  where  he  could  not  fail  to  find  them, 
yet  in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  take  some 
time  to  gather  them  up ;  then  the  start  was  made 
on  the  establishment  of  a  time  record  down  that 
mountain,  which  it  is  safe  to  say  has  never  yet 
been  beaten ;  often  since  wondering  if  that  bear 
was  ever  afterward  troubled  with  coughs,  colds 
or  sore  throat.  If  so,  it  certainly  was  no  fault 
of  the  writer.  -=- 

The  summer  was  getting  fairly  well  along 
now,  and  neither  Askew,  Ramsden  or  the  writer 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  293 

having  found  anything  that  appealed  in  any 
high  degree  to  even  our  easily  satisfied  selves, 
and  chafing  under  the  restraint  of  being  con- 
fined to  this  limited  and  comparatively  worthless 
field,  when  just  over  the  line  there  to  the  west 
existed  unlimited  wealth  easily  found,  we, 
unable  longer  to  withstand  the  temptation, 
quietly  "folded  our  tents  and  silently  stole 
away."  Secretly  and  cautiously  we  made 
our  arrangements  and  departed  from  camp 
in  an  opposite  direction,  that  no  one  see- 
ing us  might  divine  our  mission.  'Not 
even  that  old  friend  and  partner,  Bill  Hal- 
loway  was  permitted  to  become  aware  of  this, 
though  Bill  had  suggested  it  for  some  time 
past,  but  it  was  really  too  good  and  sure  a  thing 
to  take  any  chances  with.  For  Bill,  though  he 
meant  well,  was  ungovernable  in  his  indiscre- 
tions and  yelled  at  his  jacks  so  loudly  as  to 
be  liable  to  attract  the  attention  of  an  Indian 
several  miles  distant,  and  so  any  feelings  of  in- 
justice toward  him  were  excused  through  a 
sincere  resolution  to  stake  him  in.  Cautiously 
we  felt  our  way  by  easy  stages  down  Anthracite 
creek  ( a  tributary  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Gun- 
nison)  until  Mt.  Marcellena  had  been  rounded. 
At  about  this  point  it  became  easy  to  note 
unfavorable  Indian  signs.  From  the  high  points 
it  was  discovered  that  forest  fires  were  starting 
in  all  the  higher  country,  and  but  a  few  days 
elapsed  until  that  portion  already  traversed 
well  back  up  to  the  camp  of  Irwin,  was  a  cloud 


294  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

of  smoke  by  day  and  lurid  from  the  light  of 
flames  by  night. 

It  had  been  well  known  ever  since  the  mining 
camp  was  first  established  that  the  Ute  claimed 
it  to  be  upon  his  territory,  and  had  always 
regarded  it  with  a  frown,  hence,  in  view  of  all 
this  inexplicable  demonstration,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  move  with  caution  and  observe  the 
strictest  regulations  regarding  maneuvers,  and 
to  this  end,  avoiding  all  Indian  trails,  we  kept 
well  in  the  high  country  (which  incidentally  was 
the  choicest  locality  for  mineral  discoveries)  and 
after  each  evening  meal  moved  camp  to  some 
remote  spot,  that  a  lurking  Indian,  noting  the 
smoke  from  the  camp  fire,  would  in  his  at- 
tempted midnight  surprise,  find  it  vacant. 

And  thus  for  days  maneuvering  about  in  the 
very  roughest  and  most  unfrequented  portions  of 
these  then  wilds,  the  evidences  of  Indian  out- 
break each  day  grew  more  and  more  manifest, 
until  finally  it  was  evident  that  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  Indians;  the  country  on  each 
side  being  literally  alive  with  them,  en- 
gaged in  practices  so  uncommon  as  to  cause 
alarm.  Hidden  away  in  the  most  inacces- 
sible and  unfrequented  parts,  they  yet,  at 
times,  approached  so  closely  that  at  night 
the  singing  and  yelling  about  their  camp 
fires  could  be  plainly  heard  as  we  lay  in 
concealment  high  up  in  the  mountains  above 
them. 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  295 

Finally  it  was  decided  to  abandon  this  game 
of  hide  and  seek,  as  well  as  the  undertaking 
altogether,  and  leave  the  reservation,  but  in  out- 
lining a  method  it  was  soon  discovered  that  this 
was  no  easy  thing  to  do,  with  the  intervening 
country  well  on  fire  and  more  or  less  infested 
with  Indians,  as  evidenced  from  the  sounds 
of  continuous  shooting  which  came  from  this 
direction,  as  they  evidently  through  the  medium 
of  this  and  the  forest  fires  sought  to  drive  the 
game  from  the  higher  country,  which  bordered 
the  now  encroached  upon  reservation  on  the 
east,  into  the  lower  portions  and  the  heart  of 
their  land  further  to  the  west.  However,  no 
time  was  lost  in  the  attempt,  and  we  toiled 
stealthily  and  unceasingly  along  as  high  up 
on  the  mountain  sides  as  possible  and  not 
become  exposed  in  the  naked  areas  above 
timber  line.  Progress  was  necessarily  slow, 
yet  the  second  day  of  retreat  had  passed 
otherwise  successfully  and  without  appar- 
rent  detection,  and  supper  had  been  cooked 
and  eaten  by  a  little  camp  fire  no  larger  than 
a  pocket  handkerchief  and  deep  down  amongst 
the  rocks,  that  the  wily  foe  might  not  detect  its 
smoke,  and  camp  had  been  removed  several  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  and  the  animals  gathered  in 
a  choice  hiding  place,  where,  smoking  our  pipes 
and  congratulating  ourselves  upon  the  headway 
being  made,  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  not  two' 
hundred  yards  distant  and  below  in  the  timber 
suddenly  altered  impressions  and  brought  each 


296  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

to  our  feet.  Evidently  an  Indian  had  discovered 
the  camp  and  this  was  a  signal  shot  to  the 
balance  of  the  band.  Acting  upon  this  im- 
pression, we  seized  our  guns,  together  with  a 
blanket  each,  and  leaving  the  balance  of  the 
equipage  together  with  the  animals  where  they 
were,  sought  safety  in  abandoning  the  camp 
apparently  discovered,  and  taking  possession  in- 
dividually of  still  another  place  of  concealment 
not  far  removed.  Here  we  lay  and  watched 
and  shivered  with  the  cold  during  the  long  night, 
and  waited  for  the  attack  which  failed  to  come. 
Daylight  dawned  at  last,  and  still  it  was 
feared  to  return  and  take  possession  of  the  out- 
fit, through  suspicion  that  discovering  our 
individual  absence  they  were  lurking  about  in 
the  rocks  and  thickets  awaiting  an  appearance. 
The  sun  was  now  far  up  above  the  eastern  hor- 
izon ere  the  belief  had  been  overcome  to  an 
extent  wherein  possession  of  the  outfit  was  re- 
covered and  we  were  again  under  way. 

Another  day  of  wandering  and  successful 
evasion  of  the  foe  when,  during  the  forenoon 
of  the  day  following,  a  point  was  reached  so  near 
the  eastern  border  that  in  view  of  the  success 
so  far  met  with,  coupled  with  the  belief  that  we 
were  now  outside  Indian  occupation,  together 
with  the  further  fact  of  being  well  worn  out  with 
climbing  over  rocks,  through  fallen  timber,  and 
along  precipitous  mountain  sides,  it  was  de- 
termined to  descend  into  lower  country  and 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  297 

intercept  some  Indian  trail  leading  to  the  east. 
It  was  near  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  when, 
striking  a  well  defined  trail,  it  was  followed  east- 
ward at  a  rapid  gait  up  the  drain  which  it  led. 
Soon  it  left  the  bottom  and  began  a  gradual 
ascent  through  heavy  timber,  of  the  mountain 
side  to  the  south.  From  the  time  of  entering 
it  the  writer's  saddle  animal  had  manifested 
uneasiness,  hurrying  forward,  champing  the  bit 
and  otherwise  fretting,  when  leaning  forward  in 
the  saddle  and  looking  downward,  first  over  one 
shoulder  and  then  the  other  to  detect  the  pres- 
ence of  a  horse  fly,  his  eyes  rested  upon  the 
trail  and  a  myriad  of  pony  tracks  therein,  all 
leading  in  the  same  direction  in  which  we  were 
traveling.  Ramsden  and  Askew  were  in  the  rear 
following  the  two  pack  mules.  Hurrying  on 
without  calling  their  attention  to  the  matter,  and 
watching  sharply  for  signs  ahead,  there  soon 
reached  the  ear  a  faint  sound  at  first  attributed 
to  the  sighing  of  the  wind  through  the  tree 
tops.  Little  by  little  it  became  more  distinct, 
until  the  ding  dong  of  a  cow  bell  was  unmis- 
takable. Deciding  finally  that  it  was  the  animal 
of  some  prowling  prospector  like  ourselves,  we 
rode  on.  Still  the  pony  tracks  in  the  trail  fur- 
nished a  source  of  unrest.  The  tones  of  the  bell 
came  clearer  and  clearer  through  the  dense  for- 
est, and  seemed  to  come  from  far  below,  down 
the  steep  mountain  side.  But,  a  short  distance 
further  on  and  glancing  to  the  left  through  the 
heavy  timber,  and  in  a  little  glade  in  the  drain 


298  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

below  there  was  seen  flitting  about  a  myriad  of 
bright  colored  blankets,  each  covering  the  form 
of  a  husky  Ute.  Turning  quickly  in  the  saddle 
and  calling  in  a  whisper  to  Ramsden,  who  was 
riding  next  behind  the  packs:  "Injuns,  Percy, 
cut  'em  loose,"  he  rushed  upon  the  rear  pack 
mule  and  jerking  a  blacksnake  whip  from  the 
horn  of  his  saddle,  dealt  him  a  blow.  The  mule 
made  a  sudden  bound  and  jumped  out  from 
under  the  pack  upon  his  back.  Now  an  excite- 
ment prevailed,  which,  though  silent,  was  in- 
tense. Jumping  from  our  saddle  animals,  the 
writer  dropped  the  bridle  reins  of  his  saddle 
animal  upon  the  ground,  leaned  his  Sharp's 
rifle  against  a  tree  and  hastened  to  assist  in 
repacking  the  mule.  This  quickly  accom- 
plished, he  turned  to  find  his  saddle  horse  had 
fled  up  the  trail  and  was  now  no  where  in  sight. 
It  was  quickly  arranged  that  his  two  companions 
should  push  on  with  the  packs,  overtake  the 
saddle  horse  as  quickly  as  possible,  when  one  of 
them  should  return  with  it,  while  he  meanwhile 
would  make  the  best  time  possible  on  foot.  In 
excitement  he  rushed  forward  a  hundred  yards 
or  more,  then  discovered  that  he  had  forgotten 
the  rifle  by  the  tree,  and  rushed  back  to  its  re- 
covery. Through  all  movements  so  far  we  had 
remained  undiscovered  by  the  Indians;  when 
seizing  the  rifle  and  turning  to  run,  an  Indian 
far  down  in  the  park  below,  detecting  the  act, 
gave  a  yell  calling  the  attention  of  his  compan- 
ions. From  the  run  made  forward  and  back 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  299 

again  to  recover  the  rifle,  the  writer  was  now  well 
exhausted,  and  quickly  figuring  out  the  only 
chances  of  escape.  They  could  not  rapidly  climb 
the  mountain  to  the  trail  above,  it  was  true, 
yet  it  was  all  the  same  in  the  end  unless  the 
boys  came  to  the  rescue  with  that  saddle  horse. 
Meanwhile,  in  hastening  on  to  meet  them,  pro- 
tection must  be  had  from  becoming  a  target 
for  their  rifle  balls.  Only  twice,  as  stumbling 
forward  through  the  timber  was  an  exposure 
made,  and  to  which  attention  was  quickly  called 
by  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  below  and  a  whistle 
of  the  ball  as  it  passed  nearby.  Soon  rounding 
a  point  of  the  mountain,  one  was  for  the  time 
well  out  of  range,  and  now  the  trail  became 
more  level  and  soon  left  the  timber  as  it  sought 
to  regain  the  creek  bed,  which  it  had  left  and 
climbed  by  easy  grade  along  the  mountain  side 
to  avoid  a  steep,  rocky  and  impassable  section 
above,  where  the  Indians  were  encamped. 
Stumbling  forward,  utterly  exhausted,  and  at 
times  falling,  with  no  sign  of  the  returning 
saddle  horse,  the  last  remaining  hope  was  to 
reach  the  creek  bed  in  the  trail  ahead,  where  a 
dense  growth  of  willows  filled  the  gulch,  and 
possibly  thereby  prolong  briefly  the  search,  and 
life  meanwhile,  for  the  Indians  had  saddled  up 
and  were  fast  climbing  the  mountain  side,  yel- 
ling with  glee  at  the  triumph  awaiting  them. 

Staggering  onward  and  at  last  reaching  the 
willows,  the  writer  fell  forward  into  their  pro- 
tecting fastnesses,  for  a  time  unable  to  rise,  then 


300  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

staggering  to  his  feet  as  there  came  a  loud  crash 
from  the  opposite  bank,  a  violent  commotion  of 
the  willows,  and  two  horses  with  a  single  rider 
tore  past  ere  they  could  stop.  It  was  Askew, 
who,  as  the  writer  caught  the  horn  of  the  saddle, 
too  weak  to  mount,  reached  across  the  animal's 
back  and,  seizing  his  collar,  dragged  him  into 
the  seat;  then  turning  we  tore  back  through 
the  willows  and  up  the  trail  in  a  wild  and  reck- 
less race  for  life.  A  half  mile  or  more  up  the 
steep  grades,  and  our  saddle  animals  were  felt 
weakening  beneath  us,  as,  reeling,  their  pace 
slackened  and  they  struggled  violently  for 
breath.  Then  a  savage  yell  came  from  far  down 
the  drain,  and  turning  in  our  saddles,  w©  saw 
a  band  of  Indians  (who  had  at  last  reached  the 
trail  above)  emerge  from  the  timber  with  horses 
evidently  as  exhausted  as  our  own,  and  halting, 
they  held  a  pow-wow,  as  they  saw  their  prey 
mounted  and  well  out  of  rifle  range,  far  up  the 
trail.  Then  abandoning  further  pursuit,  they 
wheeled  about  and  trotted  sullenlv  back  into 
the  forest  from  which  they  had  emerged. 

And  now,  riding  into  Irwin  a  half  hour  later, 
what,  situated  in  the  camp's  very  center,  was 
the  strange  structure  that  greeted  the  sight? 
Logs  from  six  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter  and 
about  fifteen  feet  in  height  were  standing  in 
the  ground  close  beside  each  other  and  forming 
a  great  circle  fifty  feet  or  more  in  diameter, 
while,  from  the  wild-eyed  and  scanty  populace 
huddled  in  groups  it  was  soon  learned  that  this 


EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  301 

was  a  stronghold  which  hereafter  one  had  best 
not  stray  too  far  from;  that  the  Utes  were  on 
the  war  path ;  that  already  they  had  massacred 
the  entire  white  population  at  the  agency  on 
White  river,  including  Meeker,  the  Government 
agent,  and  had  then  gone  north  and  inter- 
cepted and  ambushed  the  force  of  troops  from 
Fort  Steele,  under  command  of  the  writer's 
friend,  Major  Thornburg,  who  were  coming  to 
the  relief  of  the  agency,  and  had  killed  Thorn- 
burg,  together  with  twenty-two  soldiers  and  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  head  of  mules.  Fur- 
ther, that  scouts  reported  large  forces  of  warriors 
now  approaching  from  the  north  and  west,  mov- 
ing upon  the  Camps  of  Irwin,  Crested  Butte, 
Gothic  and  Gunnison  City. 

All  that  night  we  remained  awake  in  the  log 
fort  at  Irwiri,  and  the  following  morning  sud- 
denly discovered  that  we  were  out  of  certain 
supplies,  which  could  not  be  obtained  at  a  point 
nearer  east  than  Crested  Butte.  Moreover, 
since  learning  the  true  state  of  affairs,  a  feeling 
overcame  us  that  possibly  Irwin  was  a  little 
over  on  the  reservation,  and  if  so  it  wasn't  at 
all  the  right  thing  to  remain  there  and  be  a  party 
to  such  unjust  proceedings,  and  so,  overcome 
with  this  sudden  revolution  of  sentiment,  and 
weighed  down  with  our  so  recently  acquired 
principles  and  sense  of  justice  in  the  matter,  and 
further  influenced  to  some  slight  degree  through 
our  lack  of  faith  in  the  utter  impregnability 
of  Fort  Irwin,  together  with  the  scanty  and 


302  BEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

somewhat  demoralized  force  remaining  to  pro- 
tect it,  we  packed  up  and  moved  on  down  to 
Crested  Butte  on  Slate  river. 

Reaching  the  Butte  in  safety,  there  was 
found  here  greater  consternation  than  at  Irwin. 
The  news  of  the  massacre  and  imminent  attack 
upon  all  the  bordering  camps  had  crept  through- 
out the  wilds,  and  the  unprotected  denizens  of 
every  gulch  round  ahout  had  already  found  their 
way  to  Crested  Butte  or  Gothic,  or  with  greater 
discretion  had  passed  on  down  the  river  to  Gun- 
nison  City.  Even  old  Yank  Baxter  had  evacu- 
ated his  stronghold  in  Poverty  gulch,  and  was 
prancing  up  and  down  the  only  street  of  the 
town,  stopping  to  take  a  drink  each  time  he 
passed  Burns7  saloon,  and  loudly  assuring  each 
one  he  met  that  he  "didn't  leave  till  the  Injuns 
smoked  him  out  and  he  had  shot  the  last  'cat- 
ridge'  into  'em  he  had  left,"  all  of  which  was 
accepted  in  the  general  excitement  as  true. 
Later  evidence,  however,  went  to  show  that 
there  hadn't  been  an  Indian  within  five  miles 
of  Poverty  gulch. 

The  greater  part  of  the  comparatively  few 
women  and  children  had  sought  greater  safety  by 
migrating  down  the  river,  while  a  surprisingly 
large  detachment  of  men  had  found  a  convenient 
excuse  to  accompany  and  protect  them.  The  bal- 
ance that  remained,  armed  with  such  weapons  as 
existed,  and  fortified  with  generous  amounts  of 
Burns'  whiskey,  constituted  the  sole  defense.  As 
night  approached  and  additional  wild  reports 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 


303 


came  in,  the  fortification  was  added  to  until  in 
the  darkness  as  between  the  large  percentage  of 
excited,  frightened,  half  drunken  white  defend- 
ers and  the  murderous  Utes  there  was  little  to 
choose. 

The  self -constituted  commandant  of  the  gar- 
rison was  a  charac- 
ter who  had  ap- 
peared in  the 
Butte  with  the  ear- 
ly arrivals  and  who 
passed  generally 
under  the  nom  de 
plume  of  "Arkin- 
saw."  No  one 
seemed  to  know  his 
other  name,  his 
previous  record,  or 
from  whence  he 
came,  while  a  cer- 
tain atmosphere  of  j 
stern  reticence  and>^ 
uncertain  disposi-  \[ 
tion,  attended  at 
all  times  by  a  pair 
of  formidable  six 
shooters  (one  at 

each  hip),  tended  to  discourage  too  much  inquis- 
itiveness.  He  was  naturally  sullen  and  morose, 
and,  drunk  or  sober,  engaged  in  very  little  con- 
versation with  any  one.  However,  when  he  at 

times  started  in  looking  for  trouble,  it  required 
20 


\\ 


"Arkinsaw"  looking  for  trouble. 


304  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

no  lengthy  promulgation  of  his  views  to  convince 
the  older  residents  that  he  was  in  earnest.  He 
was  a  man  of  about  fifty  years  of  age,  of  medium 
height,  strongly  built,  with  heavy  hair  and  beard 
and  stern  visaged.  For  two  or  three  days  fol- 
lowing our  arrival  the  excitement  increased 
rather  than  abated.  Finally  it  was  agreed,  and 
a  subscription  made  (evidently  without  con- 
sulting Arkinsaw,  who  was  never  known  to  have 
a  cent,  or  pay  if  he  did  have  it)  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sending  a  messenger  to  Leadville,  some 
one  hundred  miles  through  a  wild  and  broken 
country,  for  arms  and  assistance,  while  to  this 
end  the  writer  was  chosen  to  make  the  trip,  the 
start  to  be  made  after  nightfall  that  the  chances 
of  capture  might  be  lessened,  when  by  daylight 
a  point  would  be  reached  far  enough  to  the  east 
to  be  well  outside  of  the  enemy's  lines.  Finish- 
ing supper  and  preparing  a  midnight  lunch,  he 
crossed  the  street  to  Burns'  saloon,  where  all 
important  public  gatherings  met,  and  where 
a  contribution  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
trip  was  on  deposit.  Standing  at  the  bar  while 
Burns  counted  out  the  fund,  the  transaction  was 
interrupted  by  Arkinsaw  who,  entering,  strode 
forward,  and  leaning  across  the  bar,  rudely,  and 
in  violent  tones  entered  his  protest  against  the 
whole  proceeding.  Irritated  beyond  further 
endurance,  the  writer  turned  slightly  toward 
him  and  remarked,  "What  particular  business 
of  yours  is  this,  anyhow,  Arkinsaw?"  Then 
resuming  the  conversation  with  Burns,  some- 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  305 

thing  cold  touched  his  neck  just  below  the  ear, 
while  a  voice  remarked,  "It's  a  heap  of  my  busi- 
ness, joung  feller ;  see  ?  Now  dig  up  that  coin 
you've  got  there  and  chuck  it  right  back  over  the 
bar  'fore  I  blow  the  whole  top  o'  yer  head  off." 
Slowly,  yet  obediently,  the  writer's  hands  went 
down  deep  in  his  trousers  pockets  and  raked 
forth  the  last  coin  he  had  received,  while  fearing 
to  move  his  head  an  inch,  he  turned  his  eyes 
apologetically  toward  him  and  remarked,  "I  beg 
your  pardon,  Mr.  Arkinsaw,  I  was  only  joking, 
upon  my  word  and  honor  I  didn't  mean  any- 
thing personal,  Mr.  Arkinsaw."  "Well,  I  do," 
remarked  the  blood-thirsty  old  pirate,  "and 
now  you  trot  home,  sonny,  and  git  your  gun 
if  you  want  to  argue  this  matter  any  further 
with  me,  and  be  careful  I  don't  ketch  sight  uv 
ye  first."  After  a  brief  discussion,  Arkinsaw's 
views  were,  as  usual,  adopted,  and  the  writer's 
fully  aranged-for  Paul  Revere  notoriety  came 
suddenly  to  an  end. 

Gradually  the  Indian  scare  in  the  border 
mining  camps  subsided,  yet  further  and  more 
detailed  and  authentic  information  from  the 
Indian  country  proved  conclusively  that  the  first 
horrible  information  relative  to  the  massacre  of 
troops  and  agency  attaches  was  only  too  true, 
and  in  addition  to  which  it  was  now  known 
that  several  women  present  (amongst  others 
Miss  Josephine  Meeker,  a  daughter  of  the 
agent),  though  not  murdered,  were  captured  and 
yet  in  the  hands  of  the  savages.  Henceforth 


306  EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

there  were  no  more  raids  into  Indian  territory, 
on  the  part  of  prospectors;  and  aside  from  the 
camp  of  Irwin,  already  established,  most  oper- 
ations were  conducted  at  a  point  safely  east  of 
any  probable  location  of  the  107th  meridian. 

Winter  came  at  last,  and  with  no  holdings 
worthy  of  preparation  for  winter  operation,  we 
drifted  with  the  first  wintry  blast  and  its  ac- 
companying snow,  back  over  the  mountains  to 
the  east  and  away  to  that  mecca  of  all  Colorado 
miners  and  prospectors,  Denver. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  season  of  1878  had  closed  the  career  of 
that  eminent,  sincere,  geological  genius,  Dr. 
Ferdinand  Vandeveer  Hayden,  who  had  spent 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  the  very  best 
of  his  life  in  unceasing,  unselfish,  invaluable 
and  arduous  service  for  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  in  the  exploration  and  determin- 
ation of  the  economic  resources  of  the  vast  re- 
gion lying  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  which 
in  greater  part  was,  during  the  first  half  at  least 
of  his  labors  a  trackless  waste  aside  from  the 
pathway  of  the  wily  Indian  and  the  untamed 
beast.  And  the  operations  of  the  survey  were 
now  conducted  under  the  directorship  of  Clar- 
ence King,  under  whom  Major  Clark  was  in 
charge  of  the  division  of  the  "Great  Basin" 
with  headquarters  at  Eureka,  Nevada,  where 
the  writer  now  resumed  service  in  the  survey. 

The  Great  Basin,  so-called,  embraces  east- 
erly and  westerly  the  vast  area  lying  between 
the  Wasatch  mountains  on  its  eastern  and  the 
Sierra  Nevadas  on  its  western  border.  A  pe- 
culiarity of  the  floor  of  this  great  enclosure 
being  that  it  displays  a  generally  true  and 
marked  convexity  of  surface  along  its  east  and 
west  section,  some  400  miles  in  length,  starting 
from  an  elevation  of  about  4500  feet  at  the  base 


308  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

of  the  Wasatch  range,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  rising  gradually  to  a  mean  elevation 
of  from  6500  to  7000  feet  in  its  central  portion 
and  descending  as  gradually  to  a  like  elevation 
with  the  point  of  commencement,  in  its  western 
terminus  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierras  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Carson  City,  Nevada. 

The  then  great  mining  camp  of  Eureka,  being 
situated  very  nearly  midway  between  the  ter- 
minal points  of  the  line  mentioned,  as  a  result 
rested  upon  the  highest  elevation  of  the  great 
vertical  curve,  although  surrounded  by  local 
elevations  which  reach  some  distance  above  it 
in  the  form  of  broken  hills  and  fragmentary 
ranges. 

About  two  miles  to  the  west  of  the  town  in 
an  eminence  known  as  Euby  hill  existed  one  of 
the  greatest  precious  metal  ore  occurrences  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  Though  other  minor  dis- 
coveries in  the  neighborhood  were  made  as  early 
as  1864,  the  ores  of  this  particular  hill  remained 
unnoticed  or  received  no  attention  until  late  in 
1868,  when  work  was  commenced  and  enough 
information  finally  gained,  that  in  1870  or  there- 
abouts, two  great  companies  were  formed,  the 
Eureka  Consolidated  with  San  Erancisco  cap- 
ital and  the  Richmond  Consolidated  by  a  Lon- 
don syndicate,  each  with  reduction  works  of 
their  own.  Then  rapidly  followed  the  organiza- 
tion and  operations  of  numerous  minor  compa- 
nies upon  the  hill  and  in  the  district  surround- 
ing, several  of  which  followed  the  example  of 


BEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  309 

their  two  predecessors  and  built  other  furnaces 
for  the  private  treatment  of  their  ores  until  final- 
ly the  deep  gulch  in  which  the  town  was  located 
was  clogged  with  a  dense  bank  of  smoke  and 
filled  with  fumes  infernal,  out  of  which  ema- 
nated finally  a  production  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  millions  of  dollars  in  gold,  silver 
and  lead  bullion. 

The  formation  of  Ruby  hill  in  which  this 
great  ore  body  occurred  was  made  up  originally 
of  successive  sheets  of  sedimentary  rocks,  in  all 
nine  or  more  in  number,  and  some  of  which 
were  a  thousand  feet  and  more  in  thickness, 
the  whole  having  at  some  time  been  uplifted 
at  this  point  through  the  forces  accompanying 
eruptive  action,  into  a  great  anticlinal  fold, 
forming  Ruby  hill.  Following  this  the  hill  or 
fold  had  fissured  or  split  open,  as  it  were,  to 
great  depths,  along  its  northeast  face  and  par- 
allel to  its  axis.  Then,  one  of  these  parts  was 
pushed  up  or  the  other  subsided,  or  both,  until 
the  corresponding  ends  of  these  sheets  assumed 
a  displacement  of  over  1200  feet  at  points  along 
the  big  crack  or  fissure,  and  through  which  dis- 
placement of  the  parts  it  now  became  what  is 
known  as  a  "fault." 

The  order  of  the  four  lower  sheets  begin- 
ning at  the  bottom  were,  first,  a  quartzite  of 
indefinite,  though  great  thickness,  resting  upon 
the  granites ;  second,  seven  hundred  feet  of  lime- 
stone; third,  somewhat  less  than  this  of  shale; 
fourth,  a  second  bed  of  limestone  of  the  same 


310  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

character  and  of  about  the  same  depth  as  the 
first. 

These  four  lower  sheets  were  of  the  oldest 
sedimentary  rocks  known.  The  earliest  sedi- 
ments laid  down  upon  the  surface  of  the  gran- 
ite and  known  as  " Cambrian."  They  were  the 
foundation  rocks  of  the  Paleozoic  era,  and  though 
originally  covered  by  other  beds  aggregating 
thousands  of  feet  in  thickness,  were  now  (due 
to  erosion)  practically  the  only  rocks  appearing 
upon  the  surface  of  Ruby  hill. 

This  great  fissure  was  not  truly  vertical,  but 
in  its  course  downward  had  a  dip  or  inclination 
from  the  vertical  of  about  twenty  degrees.  The 
entire  formation  on  the  under  or  foot  wall 
side  of  this  fissure  had  been  pushed  up,  or  the 
opposite  side  had  subsided  as  the  case  may  be, 
until  the  lower  or  first  mentioned  formation  of 
limestone  now  in  places  coincided  quite  closely 
with  the  second  mentioned  formation  of  the 
same  material,  some  1200  feet  above,  while  at 
other  points  it  reached  much  higher  than  this. 

Erosion  then,  during  the  countless  centuries 
which  followed,  carved  away  at  the  summit  of  the 
great  fractured  fold,  until  now,  of  all  the  form- 
ations of  sedimentary  rock  which  once  clothed 
the  hill  nothing  remained  above  the  lowermost 
or  quartzite  formation  to  cover  the  uplifted  por- 
tion, save  a  long,  irregular  fragment  of  the  lower 
lime  brought  up  from  a  thousand  and  more  feet 
below.  In  cross  section  the  form  of  this  frag- 
ment of  lime  was  roughly  that  of  a  scaline  tri- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  311 

angle  with  one  face  resting  against  the  great 
faulted  fissure,  and  its  most  acute  angle  pointing 
downward  along  the  line  of  same. 

This  remaining  ledge  of  limestone  had, 
through  the  grinding  effect  attending  its  upward 
movement,  become  profusely  fractured  through- 
out, while  much  of  it  was  finely  crushed,  and 
the  whole  thus  prepared  to  receive  through  per- 
colation and  substitution  the  vast  bodies  of 
precious  metal  bearing  ores  that  were  later 
herein  found.  By  just  what  method  these  ore 
bodies  were  deposited,  there  remains  no  positive 
evidence.  It  seems  most  probable,  however,  that 
the  dynamical  action  which  uplifted  the  great 
sedimentary  beds  created  innumerable  other  frac- 
tures aside  from  the  Kuby  hill  fissure  found 
so  directly  connected  with  these  ore  bodies  and 
so  enormously  faulted. 

As  a  product  of  this  dynamical  action,  there 
appears  in  the  immediate  vicinity  large  areas  of 
eruptive  matter  (porphyry  and  ryholite)  the 
deposition  of  which  was  certainly  attended  by 
great  heat,  gases,  vapors  and  superheated  waters 
which,  laden  with  mineral  matter  in  solution, 
circulated  most  freely  along  planes  of  least  re- 
sistance, such  as  bedding  planes  and  fractures, 
and  ascending  along  the  great  Euby  hill  fault 
fissure,  as  at  least  one  channel,  came  finally  in 
contact  with  the  crushed  and  unresisting  lime, 
and  permeating  the  broken  and  pulverized  mass, 
deposited  little  by  little  of  its  burden  of  iron, 
lead,  gold,  silver,  silica,  etc.,  etc.,  which  con- 


312  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

stituted  the  ore  proper ;  not,  however,  impregnat- 
ing the  entire  mass,  as  seemingly  a  wise  prov- 
idence thoroughly  understood  that  such  a  method 
of  deposition  would  render  the  whole  of  far  too 
low  a  grade  for  successful  operation  by  creatures 
of  the  earth  destined  to  follow,  who  would  make 
the  discovery  and  assume  the  undertaking ;  and 
thus  it  came,  that  these  values,  through  some  law 
of  inorganic  affinity  imperfectly  understood, 
were  concentrated  at  irregular  points  and  in 
irregular  bodies  throughout  the  field;  usually 
in  caves,  either  pre-existing  or  created  through 
the  process  of  ore  deposition.  Most  of  the 
greater  ore  bodies  were  found  deposited  upon 
the  floor  of  great  caves  in  the  lime  and  only 
partially  filling  the  same,  a  phenomena  some- 
what difficult  to  explain.  Certainly  it  was  not 
due  to  infiltration  or  leaching,  as  no  trace  of 
stalagmites  or  stalactites  other  than  those  of 
calcium  carbonate  were  found.  Again,  if  due 
to  substitution,  and  the  circulating  solutions 
deposited  an  atom  of  their  metalliferous  burden 
in  replacement  of  the  atom  lime  rock  which  they 
in  turn  converted  into  solution,  then  why  was 
not  the  replacement  complete,  and  the  cave  full  ? 
However,  these  ores  unquestionably  presented  a 
far  different  structure  immediately  following 
their  deposition  than  when  later  discovered  by 
man.  They  must  originally  have  been  deposited 
in  primary  form  as  sulphides;  when  found, 
however,  they  were  in  an  almost  perfect  state 
of  oxidization.  This  metamorphism,  it  is  quite 


BEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  313 

possible  and  even  probable,  diminished  their 
volume.  To  whatever  extent  this  occurred,  the 
mass  naturally  settled  away  from  the  roof  and 
left  the  open  chamber  found. 

Were  the  deposits  made  in  caves  already 
formed,  and  upon  which  these  ore  bearing  solu- 
tions and  vapors  through  lack  of  carbonic  acid 
had  no  further  effect,  the  deposit  would  be  made 
equally  upon  all  exposed  portions  of  the  recep- 
tacle, when  in  case  of  a  complete  filling  the  re- 
sult would  be  identical  with  that  filled  by  sub- 
stitution, and  in  case  of  an  incomplete  filling 
or  the  existence  of  a  central  vacuity,  the  appar- 
ent shrinkage  through  oxidization  would  be  cor- 
respondingly increased. 

The  early  operation  of  these  properties  near 
the  surface  and  in  the  big  end  of  the  wedge 
indicated  a  field  of  startling  magnitude.  Soon, 
however,  development  at  greater  depth  presented 
unmistakable  evidence  that  the  longitudinal 
boundary  planes  of  this  bonanza  converged  rap- 
idly in  their  course  downward,  until  finally  con- 
tinued delving  after  its  wealth  terminated  not 
exactly  at  the  "little  end  of  the  horn,"  but  more 
precisely  at  the  lower  and  sharper  point  of  the 
wedge  or  triangle,  one  fourth  of  a  mile  or  there- 
abouts below  the  surface. 

The  winter  of  '79  and  '80  found  the  camp 
but  little  past  the  zenith  of  its  glory  and  produc- 
tion. Eureka,  with  a  population  of  ten  thousand 
people  and  its  single  business  street,  following 


314  BEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

the  bed  of  the  gulch,  up  and  down  which  all 
day  long  huge  freight  and  charcoal  wagons, 
drawn  by  long  strings  of  mules,  each  thirty  or 
forty  in  number,  filed  slowly  and  in  endless  pro- 
cession until  nightfall,  when  seemingly  half  the 
population,  added  to  by  nightly  delegations  from 
the  town  of  Ruby  Hill  up  at  the  mines  two  miles 
distant,  thronged  the  brilliantly  lighted  and 
noisy  thoroughfare,  until  passage  was  only  pos- 
sible through  the  middle  of  the  street. 

From  the  little  narrow-gauge  railway  line 
which  had  its  terminus  here,  freight  and  passen- 
gers were  transported  to  such  points  in  the  great 
desert  beyond  as  Hamilton,  Ely,  Tybo,  and  so 
far  south  as  Pioche ;  from  here  daily,  long  lines 
of  freight  teams  started  upon  their  dreary,  toil- 
some march — such  freighting  as  the  world  has 
never  seen  outside  of  this  very  desert  and  its 
bordering  range,  the  Sierra  Nevadas. 

For  more  than  fifty  miles  at  a  stretch  in 
various  sections  of  the  routes  traveled,  no  sign 
of  habitation  was  met  with  save  the  hut  of  the 
stock-tender,  and  the  adobe  stables  for  the  mules 
at  the  regular  stations  where  night  was  passed 
and  water  was  secured  to  fill  the  casks  slung 
each  side  of  the  ponderous  freight  wagons,  with 
which  to  slake  the  thirst  of  the  toiling  mules 
until  the  next  water  hole  or  station  was  reached. 

Each  of  these  freighting  outfits  was  com- 
posed of  from  three  to  five  monstrous  wagons, 
connected  in  a  train  like  railway  cars,  and  all 
of  which,  except  the  front  wagon  or  that  to 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  315 

which  the  mules  were  hitched,  were  known  as 
"trails"  and  were  dropped  at  the  foot  of  heavy 
grades  and  hauled  up  separately  and  recon- 
nected at  the  summit. 

These  wagons  were  built  largely  at  Carson 
City,  Nevada,  which  point  enjoyed  as  great  a 
reputation  for  the  manufacture  of  this  class  of 
conveyance  as  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  did 
for  stage  coaches.  The  hubs  of  many  of  these 
wagons  were  each  fully  the  size  of  a  flour  barrel. 
Each  wagon  had  a  capacity  of  from  ten  to  fifteen 
tons.  The  mules  employed  were  from  sixteen 
to  forty  according  to  the  weight  of  the  load,  con- 
dition of  road,  etc. 

The  whole  was  managed  by  a  single  driver, 
who,  riding  one  of  the  wheel  mules,  guided  the 
balance  by  a  "jerk"  line,  at  the  same  time  oper- 
ating the  brakes  through  another  line  attached 
to  a  long  lever. 

In  such  a  manner  and  upon  such  scale  was 
freight  handled  between  the  Rocky  mountains 
and  the  Pacific  coast  and  from  the  borders  of 
Mexico  to  British  Columbia  only.  Throughout 
the  Rocky  mountains  and  east  thereof,  in  fact, 
throughout  the  world,  in  so  far  as  the  writer's 
information  extends,  no  such  freighting  has  ever 
been  engaged  in,  wherein,  as  in  an  instance  actu- 
ally witnessed,  a  load  of  sixty-five  tons  left 
Winnemucca,  Nevada,  in  the  spring  of  1880, 
handled  by  a  single  driver,  and  destined  through 
a  long,  weary  journey  over  mountain  and  plain 


316  BEMimSCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

for  final  delivery  at  Boise  City,  and  other  points 
in  Idaho. 

The  field  work  of  the  survey  had  embraced 
an  area  of  about  twenty  miles  square,  or  400 
square  miles,  in  which  the  Ruby  hill  deposit 
occurred  near  the  center  of  its  northern  half. 

This  entire  area  was  contoured  at  fifty  feet 
vertical  intervals,  while  a  general  geological  ex- 
amination of  the  whole,  embodying  a  more  de- 
tailed examination  of  the  small  section  embrac- 
ing the  ore  deposits,  followed. 

A  blanket  of  snow,  accompanied  by  a  low 
temperature  incident  to  this  elevation  and  lati- 
tude, had  now  shrouded  the  region  round  about. 
Field  work  had  been  abandoned,  and  in  fur- 
nished quarters  rented  for  the  winter,  the  force 
were  now  cosily  ensconced  and  busily  engaged 
in  compiling  the  data  obtained  during  the  sum- 
mer preceding;  making  an  occasional  trip 
through  the  deep  snow  to  some  distant  point  to 
obtain  information  overlooked,  or  to  check  some 
condition  which,  through  its  apparent  inconsis- 
tency, seemed  an  error.  Then,  underground, 
deep  down  in  the  workings  of  the  Eureka  Consol- 
idated, Richmond  and  other  great  mines,  climb- 
ing about  with  flickering  lights  through  passages 
and  caverns,  like  gnomes  in  the  under  world,  in 
search  of  truths  to  present  to  those  who  dwelt 
in  the  light  of  day. 

Fourteen  hundred  and  more  feet  down  in 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  hundreds  of  miners  were 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  317 

here  engaged,  scattered  through  miles  upon 
miles  of  winzes,  drifts,  and  upraises,  and 
perched  in  countless  numbers  high  up  on  breasts 
of  ore,  or  in  the  roofs  of  stopes,  their  positions 
denoted  only  by  the  faint  flare  of  a  candle  car- 
ried by  each,  and  whose  feeble  rays  lighted  but 
dimly  a  small  radius  round  about  in  the  Plutonic 
darkness  everywhere. 

Whole  forests  of  the  best  timber  from  along 
the  Pacific  coast  in  Oregon  and  Washington  were 
already  interred  in  the  workings  of  these  mines, 
for  the  purpose  of  sustaining  the  mountain  above 
them  and  protecting  the  workmen  while  engaged 
in  extracting  the  ore  bodies. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  enormous  weight  to  be 
sustained,  there  might  be  seen  in  the  lower  work- 
ings of  these  mines,  timbers,  originally  sixteen 
inches  square,  which  had  been  compressed  to  a 
thickness  of  four  inches  and  less,  so  solidified 
that  the  destructive  effect  upon  an  edged  tool  was 
almost  equal  to  that  of  a  bar  of  railway  iron. 

As  heretofore  stated,  the  entire  and  enor- 
mous tonnage  of  ore  produced  was  treated  by 
smelting  upon  the  ground.  Far  removed  from 
coal  supply,  and  with  ninety  miles  of  wagon 
haul  across  the  desert  during  a  period  covering 
early  operations,  necessity  compelled  the  intro- 
duction of  some  cheaper  fuel.  Indigenous  to 
the  soil  and  climate  of  this  desert  region,  there 
grew  upon  the  smaller  hills,  in  the  gulches  and 
upon  the  slopes  of  the  fragmentary  ranges 


318  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

round  about,  a  more  or  less  dense  growth  of 
"mountain  mahogany."  Though  beautiful  in 
color  and  texture,  intensely  hard  and  to  all 
appearance  a  perfect  mahogany,  its  growth  was 
so  dwarfed  as  to  render  it  simply  a  giant  shrub 
and  unfit  for  any  commercial  uses,  other  than  as 
a  fuel.  And  thus  nature  had  provided  crude 
facilities  for  pioneer  operations  preceding  in- 
dustrial advancement  not  yet  acquired.  This 
mahogany,  at  the  close  of  operations,  had  been 
cut  and  converted  into  charcoal  over  an  area 
represented  by  a  radius  of  at  least  twenty  miles, 
drawn  from  the  town  of  Eureka. 

A  still  more  striking  illustration  of  the  force 
of  necessity  along  this  line  is  given  at  Tusca- 
rora,  in  the  northern  portion  of  Nevada,  and 
a  camp  of  even  earlier  date  than  Eureka,  Here 
the  ores  were  of  a  milling  in  place  of  a  smelt- 
ing nature,  and  must  of  necessity  be  treated 
upon  the  ground.  Yet  here  even  the  dwarfed 
mahogany  did  not  occur;  but  in  its  stead  the 
great  arid  valley,  embracing  hundreds  of  square 
miles  in  area,  upon  whose  borders  the  camp 
occurred,  was  one  dense  forest  of  giant  sage, 
the  trunks  of  which  were  as  large  as  a  man's 
arm.  The  growth  was  possessed  of  a  high  calo- 
rific, through  an  inflammable  oil  which  it  con- 
tained, and  although  it  burned  rapidly,  the 
forest  of  this  material  which  covered  the  val- 
ley was  so  dense,  and  of  so  great  an  area  that 
a  million  tons  of  ore  or  more  was  reduced 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  319 

here,  through  the  agency  of  this  energy-creating 
substanca 

While  incidentally  and  briefly  referring  to 
such  as  we  have  of  the  ore  deposits  of  this 
most  remarkable  precious  metal  producing  state, 
it  would  appear  most  inconsistent  to  pass  un- 
mentioned  that  most  wonderful  occurrence  of 
its  kind,  which  as  yet  has  ever  been  disclosed 
to  humankind  in  the  entire  world,  viz :  the 
Comstock  lode,  which  lies  at  a  point  in  Storey 
county,  about  twenty  miles  easterly  from  the 
foot  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
range;  more  definitely  it  is  located  in  a  small 
spur  or  offshoot  of  said  range,  and  more  def- 
initely still,  at  the  foot  of  a  prominent  peak 
in  this  spur  range  known  as  Mount  Davidson. 

Gold  was  first  discovered  in  Nevada  in  the 
spring  of  1850,  in  what  is  now  known  as  Gold 
canyon,  by  William  Prouse,  one  of  a  party  of 
Mormons  who  were  en  route  to  California. 
Although  the  gravel  which  they  found  here 
would,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  have  been 
regarded  as  rich,  yet  the  excitement  over  the 
fabulous  wealth  of  California  diggings  was 
so  great  as  to  make  this  appear  insignificant, 
and  most  of  them,  after  a  short  stay,  passed 
on  over  the  Sierras.  Little  was  done  here  dur- 
ing this  year,  owing  to  the  insane  rush  to 
California,  wherein,  during  the  summer,  over 
60,000  emigrants  crossed  the  desert,  stripping 

every    oasis    in    their    way    until  barren  as  a 
21 


320  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

Kansas  cornfield  after  the  grasshopper  plague. 
Flour  in  the  valley  of  the  Carson  and  at  the 
sinks  of  the  Humboldt  reached  a  price  of  $2.50 
per  pound,  and  it  is  related  that  the  little  band 
in  the  canyon,  influenced  by  hunger,  became 
highwaymen,  and  attacked  wagon  trains  of 
provisions  in  their  passage  westward  through 
the  country.  -f- 

By  Act  of  Congress,  approved  September 
9th,  1850,  the  territory  of  Utah  had  been  estab- 
lished, and  its  assembly  passed  an  act  Jan- 
uary 17th,  1854,  organizing  the  county  of  Car- 
son, described  by  metes  and  bounds,  which  in- 
cluded an  immense  area.  Brigham  Young  was 
territorial  governor,  and  being  empowered  by 
the  same  act,  appointed  Orson  Hyde,  one  of  the 
elders  of  the  Mormon  church,  as  probate  judge 
of  the  new  county,  who  having  authority  to  act 
in  both  civil  and  criminal  cases,  exercised  the 
first  local  government  amongst  the  new  comers. 

During  the  severest  months  of  winter,  the 
little  band  in  Gold  canyon,  together  with  those 
in  the  Carson  valley,  had  no  possibility  of  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world  save  from 
the  settlement  of  Placerville  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  and  this  alone 
through  the  marvelous  strength  and  endurance 
of  John  A.  Thompson,  a  stalwart  Norwegian, 
who  made  the  trip  regularly  and  alone,  pack- 
ing on  his  back  from  50  to  100  pounds  of 
freight.  These  trips  of  a  hundred  miles  from 
Placerville  to  the  Carson  valley,  more  than  half 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  321 

the  distance  being  through  the  pine  forests 
of  the  Sierras  and  over  a  field  of  snow  of  from 
ten  to  twenty  feet  in  depth,  he  accomplished  in 
from  two  to  three  days. 

During  the  summer  of  1854,  two  brothers, 
Ethan  Allen  and  Hosea  Ballon  Grosh  from 
Pennsylvania,  spent  much  time  in  the  hills  about 
Gold  canyon  prospecting  for  silver  leads,  and 
particularly  upon  the  canyon  slope  of  Mount 
Davidson,  then  called  by  the  gulch  miners  Sun 
peak,  and  from  letters  written  by  them,  it 
appears  certain  that  they  had  noted  what  was 
afterward  known  as  the  Comstock  ledge.  And 
here  without  funds,  save  what  they  washed 
from  the  sands  of  the  canyon  below,  they  toiled 
and  struggled  on  in  this  remote,  uninhabited  and 
desolate  location  until  the  spring  of  1857,  when 
the  brother  Hosea,  wounding  his  foot  with 
the  pick  which  he  was  weilding,  died  but  a  few 
days  later  for  want  of  proper  treatment. 

Stricken  with  misfortune,  the  remaining 
brother,  Ethan,  together  with  a  companion 
named  Burke,  set  out  late  in  November  for 
California.  In  crossing  the  Sierras,  they  en- 
countered a  terrible  snow  storm  near  Lake 
Tahoe.  A  few  days  later  a  second  storm  ob- 
literated the  trail,  and  the  great  depth  of  snow 
now  attained,  together  with  the  extreme  cold, 
rendered  travel  almost  impossible.  Still  they 
struggled  on,  killing  and  eating  the  burro  which 
accompanied  them,  as  he  could  no  longer  make 


322  BEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

his  way  through  the  deep  snow.  Finally,  in 
terrible  condition,  they  crawled  to  the  hut  of  a 
lone  placer  miner  on  the  Middle  Fork  of 
American  river,  where  Ethan  in  a  few  days 
died  from  the  effect  of  his  sufferings,  while 
Burke  was  so  badly  frozen  that  amputation  of 
both  feet  being  necessary,  the  operation  was 
crudely  yet  successfully  performed  by  the  pros- 
pector host,  who  removed  them  by  un jointing  at 
the  ankles.  Thus  ended  the  first  attempt  at 
locating  that  greatest  of  all  bonanzas,  the  Corn- 
stock  lode. 

In  February  of  the  year  following  the  death 
of  Grosh,  a  character  known  down  in  the  placer 
camp  in  Gold  canyon  as  "Old  Virginny,"  (a 
native  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  whose  true 
name  was  James  Finney)  in  wandering  over 
the  hills  bordering  the  canyon,  noticed  the  out- 
crop of  some  peculiar  looking  rock  on  the  north- 
eastern face  of  Sun  peak,  and  at  once  made 
a  vague  and  indefinite  location  of  the  same. 
Later  in  the  year,  the  diggings  down  in  the 
canyon  becoming  poor,  others  were  induced  to 
give  attention  to  the  rock  up  and  along  the  face 
of  the  peak.  And  though  the  location  made  by 
Finney  was  absolutely  invalid,  no  development 
whatever  having  been  done,  for  though  a  resi- 
dent of  the  canyon  since  1851,  work  was  an  act 
of  which  "Old  Virginny"  had  never  yet  been 
guilty.  Still  his  location  was  respected  and  the 
name  "Virginia"  given  it  in  honor  of  the  dis- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  323 

coverer.  Late  in  the  year,  Finney,  together 
with  two  or  three  others,  began  prospecting  a 
large  mound-shaped  mass  of  disintegrated  ma- 
terial lying  about  a  mile  south  of  Finney's  orig- 
inal location.  This  proved  to  be  fairly  rich  in 
gold,  and  they  made  other  locations  thereon. 
Immediately  thereafter  five  other  prospectors 
(the  name  of  one  of  whom  was  Henry  Corn- 
stock)  came  to  the  mound  and  took  up  a  single 
claim,  and  the  new  camp  was  given  the  name 
of  Gold  Hill.  Work  now  actuallly  began  at 
this  point  in  April,  1859.  Meanwhile  the  placer 
mining  down  in  the  canyon  had  been  carried 
upward  to  its  head,  and  two  of  these  miners, 
Patrick  McLaughlin  and  Peter  O'Eiley,  began 
trenching  up  the  face  of  Sun  peak  in  the  hope 
to  find  a  little  dirt  rich  enough  to  pack  down 
in  the  canyon  and  wash. 

At  one  point  a  little  water  trickled  from 
the  face  of  the  mountain,  and  thinking  to  avail 
themselves  of  this,  they  dug  a  hole  in  the  earth 
close  by  as  a  reservoir.  The  earth  thus  ex- 
tracted, being  of  a  peculiar  color,  they  washed 
a  small  amount  and  discovered  it  to  be  fabu- 
lously rich  in  gold.  It  was  in  fact  the  decom- 
posed apex  of  the  great  lode  at  still  another 
point 

Ceaselessly  and  silently  they  toiled,  and  with 
even  the  crude  appliances  they  possessed,  were 
rapidly  gaining  a  fortune,  when  the  party  Corn- 
stock  referred  to,  (who  was  a  worthless,  shiftless 
fellow,  ever  prying  about  to  gain  some  advan- 


324  REMINISCENT    RAMBIJNGS. 

tage  through  the  labor  and  discovery  of  others) 
in  roaming  about  the  hills  one  day  and  stop- 
ping at  the  little  camp  of  McLaughlin  and 
O'Riley,  soon  discovered  their  secret,  and  in- 
stantly began  conjuring  a  scheme  to  rob  them  of 
a  portion  at  least  of  their  find.  Coolly  and  un- 
blushingly,  he  informed  them  that  he  had  some 
time  since  located  a  ranch  of  160  acres,  the 
boundaries  of  which  included  the  ground  they 
were  wrorking.  In  addition  to  this,  he  claimed 
the  water  which  they  were  using,  as  having 
purchased  it  from  a  mythical  locator  a  long  time 
previous. 

Intimidated  by  these  fraudulent  assertions, 
and  rather  than  have  trouble,  McLaughlin  and 
O'Riley  foolishly  conveyed  to  the  impostor  100 
feet  in  length  along  the  line  of  their  rich  outcrop. 

Comstock  with  associates  now  set  to  work 
and  quietly  and  vaguely  located  1500  feet  along 
this  northerly  portion  of  the  great  ledge,  and 
being  a  loud-mouthed,  self-styled  leader  and 
authority,  became  through  this,  and  his  ques- 
tionably obtained  yet  extensive  holdings,  prom- 
inent in  the  camp ;  and  thus  the  great  ledge,  by 
fraud  and  loud  pretense,  came  in  its  early  and 
unimportant  stage  and  ever  after  to  bear  the 
name  of  this  worthless,  dishonest  vagabond,  who 
never  did  a  day's  work  or  discovered  anything ; 
a  name  it  has  ever  since  retained. 

McLaughlin  and  O'Riley,  content  with  the 
small  holdings  left  them  after  being  swindled  by 
Comstock,  continued  to  toil  ceaselessly,  and  in 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  325 

the  excavation  they  were  making  to  obtain  dis- 
integrated matter,  which  they  could  wash  with- 
out crushing,  they  at  no  great  depth  began 
encountering  small  seams  but  a  few  inches  in 
width  of  hard  black  rock  which  interfered  with 
their  work  and  annoyed  them  much  from  the 
fact  that  it  was  difficult  to  extract  with  pick 
and  shovel,  and  beside  the  fragments  had  to  be 
sorted  from  the  loose  material  to  be  washed  in 
their  rockers.  Finally  a  stroller  about  the  camp 
one  day  picked  up  a  few  pieces  of  this  black  rock 
and  carried  them  away  to  Placerville,  Califor- 
nia. Here  they  were  assayed,  showing  a  result 
of  three  thousand  dollars  per  ton  in  silver  and 
nearly  a  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 

This,  of  course,  created  an  excitement  and 
a  wild  stampede  followed.  Hordes  of  human- 
ity and  long  trains  of  pack  animals  laden  with 
supplies  quickly  filled  the  passes  of  the  Sierras 
headed  for  the  new  El  Dorado. 

Wildly  they  swarmed  down  the  eastern 
slope,  and  out  across  the  desolate  sage  brush 
waste  beyond,  guided  ever  by  the  towering  sum- 
mit of  Sun  peak. 

And  by  the  coming  of  winter  or  the  close 
of  the  year  1859,  all  of  Gold  hill,  the  eastern 
slope  of  Sun  peak,  far  down  into  Gold  canyon, 
together  with  the  surrounding  hills,  was  a  mass 
of  holes  and  mounds  of  earth  created  by  this 
motley  horde  of  fortune  hunters.  And  it  was 
now  well  known  that  the  loose  yellow  dirt, 
though  a  rich  silver  chloride,  was  but  incidental, 


326  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

and  that  the  great  wealth  lay  in  the  heretofore 
despised  hard  black  rock,  which  from  unknown 
depths  poked  its  nose  upward  into  the  affairs  of 
the  early  operators. 

Late  in  August  of  1859,  one  and  a  half  tons 
of  this  black  rock  (which  in  fact  was  a  fabu- 
lously rich  ore  containing  "argentite"  or  silver 
glance,  together  with  stephanite)  was  packed 
upon  the  backs  of  animals  to  San  Francisco  and 
there  sold  for  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per 
pound,  or  three  thousand  dollars  per  ton.  This 
was  followed  by  other  shipments  until,  at  the 
close  of  the  year,  over  twenty  tons  had  been 
packed  over  the  Sierras.  The  cost  of  packing 
was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per 
ton,  and  the  treatment  charge  at  that  time  over 
four  hundred  dollars  per  ton. 

Two  camps  were  now  started  along  the  face 
of  the  mountain  heretofore  known  as  Sun  peak, 
but  now  renamed  Mount  Davidson,  after  a  San 
Francisco  banker,  now  interested  in  several  of 
the  claims,  which  he  had  incorporated  into  what 
was  known  as  the  Ophir  company. 

One  of  the  towns  referred  to  was  built  at 
the  mound  and  named  Gold  Hill ;  the  other  was 
located  farther  out  along  the  ledge  to  the  north 
and  was  called  Virginia  City,  after  "Old  Vir- 
ginny."  The  main  street  was  laid  along  the  out- 
crop of  the  ledge  and  was  soon  lined  with  gro- 
tesque habitations. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  327 

The  spring  of  1860  witnessed  a  stampede 
from  the  settlements  of  California  to  the  new 
bonanza  never  before  seen.  It  was  the  outburst 
of  a  long  winter  of  rapidly  growing  and  almost 
unbearable  desire  accompanied  by  most  exten- 
sive preparation.  It  was  an  easy  route  so  far 
as  Sacramento,  for  the  river  of  that  name  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  this  point  was  nav- 
igable, and  steamboats  of  some  considerable  di- 
mensions made  their  way  without  difficulty. 
From  here,  however,  it  was  a  long,  tedious 
pilgrimage  through  the  wilderness  of  the  steep 
Sierras,  each  foot  of  the  way  beset  with  hard- 
ships too  numerous  to  mention,  as  in  their  route 
via  Placerville  and  over  Johnson's  pass  into 
the  valley  of  the  Carson,  they  clambered  through 
snow  banks  and  mud  holes,  then  over  fallen  tim- 
ber and  rocks.  In  this  manner  thousands  of 
beings,  composed  of  every  nationality  and  every 
station  in  life,  found  their  way  ere  the  summer 
of  1860  had  far  advanced,  to  this  desolate,  yet 
seductive,  center. 

Development  upon  the  great  lode  progressed 
rapidly  under  the  conditions  imposed.  Prac- 
tical miners,  or  in  fact  wage  earners  of  any 
kind,  were  difficult  to  obtain.  ISTone  came  here 
with  a  view  to  indulging  in  so  slow  and  com- 
monplace an  acquirement  of  worldly  goods. 
The  vein  was  growing  huge  in  its  proportions 
as  depth  was  attained,  and  was  soft  and  inca- 
pable of  self  support  Comparatively  little 
was  known  at  this  time  of  scientific  mining,  and 


328  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

timber  must  be  brought  a  long  way.  To  add  to 
all  this,  the  lode  soon  developed  a  strong  flow 
of  water  which  must  be  cared  for.  Nor  was  all 
this  the  sum  total  of  trouble  in  operation. 

Although  the  volume  of  ore  disclosed  was  in- 
creasing enormously,  there  was  but  a  small  per- 
centage of  it  of  that  extremely  high  grade  neces- 
sary to  stand  transportation  to  California  and 
the  costly  treatment  by  smelting  which  it  must 
receive ;  hence,  the  by  far  greatest  tonnage  must 
remain  on  the  dumps  a  worthless  mass,  through 
absolute  lack  of  knowledge  of  any  method  of 
treating  it  upon  the  ground  at  a  profit. 

Yankee  science,  aided  by  importations  of 
talent  from  Frieburg,  Germany,  failed  to  in  any 
degree  solve  the  problem,  and  resort  was  neces- 
sary to  a  method  devised  and  employed  by  the 
Mexicans  for  a  century  or  more  prior,  in  the 
extraction  of  gold  and  silver  from  certain  ores 
not  of  a  free  milling  nature.  The  method  was 
that  now  known  in  this  country  as  pan  amal- 
gamation. The  ore,  after  first  being  ground 
finely,  was  mixed  with  salt,  mercury  and  water, 
then  heated  and  stirred  constantly.  The  Mex- 
ican appliances,  however,,  for  producing  the 
highest  practical  result  from  the  scientific  prin- 
ciple to  which  they  had  given  birth,  were  crude 
and  inefficient,  and  it  remained  for  Yankee  in- 
genuity to  perfect  them  as  seen  to-day. 

The  matter  of  who  constructed  and  placed  in 
operation  the  first  mill  for  the  treatment  of 
these  ores  seems  at  this  late  dav  difficult  of  de- 


KEMINTSCENT    RAMBLINGS.  329 

termination,  two  mills  being  built,  one  by 
Almarin  B.  Paul,  and  the  other  by  Charles  S. 
Coover;  both  were  completed  on  the  9th  day  of 
August,  1860,  and  started  nearly  simultaneous- 
ly, the  charge  for  treatment  being  thirty  dollars 
per  ton. 

Other  mills  with  continued  improvements 
now  followed  rapidly  until  about  100  mills  were 
in  operation. 

In  the  following  year  of  1861  the  territory 
of  Nevada  was  created,  with  James  W.  Nye  ap- 
pointed as  governor. 

And  now  nearly  a  hundred  companies  were 
formed  and  operating  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
upon  this  wonderful  lode.  And  probably  in  no 
operations  ever  engaged  in  heretofore  or  since 
was  there  ever  seen  such  inconceivably  and  in- 
sanely reckless  extravagance  as  was  here  uni- 
versally practiced. 

The  very  air  was  filled  with  processes  for 
treatment  of  the  ores,  each  claimed  to  be  far 
superior  to  the  Mexican  method.  Great  pri- 
vate mills  were  built,  that  were  total  failures, 
and  costing  as  much  as  a  million  dollars  each, 
surrounded  with  beautifully  terraced  grounds 
filled  with  costly  fountains,  statuary  and  aqua- 
riums, together  with  managers'  residences  that 
were  veritable  palaces. 

In  addition  to  such  expenditures,  the  vari- 
ous companies  were  now  beset  with  litigation. 
The  great  lode  made  its  appearance  upon  the 


330  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

surface  as  apparently  many  different  lodes  run- 
ning parallel  and  with  partitions  of  porphyritic 
rock,  in  some  cases  a  hundred  or  more  feet  in 
width,  the  dip  of  each  being  to  the  west  or 
into  Mount  Davidson.  Now,  with  depth,  this 
series  of  veins  was  found  not  only  uniting  into 
one,  but  the  great  vein  formed  of  this  accumu- 
lation reversed  its  dip  and  was  now  pitching  to 
the  east  or  away  from  Mount  Davidson,  at  an 
angle  of  about  40  degrees  from  the  horizon. 
Endless  litigation  now  commenced,  based  upon 
innumerable  complaints,  and  in  five  years  fol- 
lowing, no  less  than  ten  millions  of  dollars  were 
expended  in  legal  warfare. 

The  terrible  trail  over  the  Sierras,  via  Lake 
Tahoe  and  Placerville,  had  now  developed  into 
the  most  magnificent  highway  in  the  United 
States.  Nearly  a  million  dollars  had  been  ex- 
pended upon  it  in  crossing  the  range.  It  was 
macadamized  for  nearly  its  entire  length,  its 
width  at  all  points  was  sufficient  for  two  teams 
to  drive  abreast,  while  it  was  traversed  from 
early  morn  until  late  at  night  by  an  unending 
line  of  the  finest  stages  and  freight  teams  in 
the  world. 

In  every  direction  efforts  were  being  made  to 
avoid  the  haul  of  supplies  from  California.  The 
Carson  and  Truckee  valleys  were,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, being  brought  under  cultivation,  whereby 
to  furnish  foodstuffs.  Salt,  which  was  used  in 
large  quantities  in  the  mills,  it  was  found,  could 
be  obtained  from  the  beds  of  saline  lakes  in  the 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  331 

desert  to  the  south.  To  transport  this  across  the 
arid  waste  a  train  of  Bactrian  camels  were  im- 
ported, who  for  some  time  performed  the  ser- 
vice, each  carrying  a  load  of  from  400  to  500 
pounds;  finally,  however,  their  use  was  aban- 
doned, from  the  fact  that  their  feet  could  not 
withstand  injury  from  the  sharp  stones  encoun- 
tered in  the  mountainous  portions  of  the  trail. 
They  were  now  taken  into  the  trackless  desert 
in  the  south  and  there  turned  loose  to  roam  at 
will.  Possibly  a  few  of  them  still  exist,  in  the 
most  impenetrable  portions  of  the  great  waste, 
but  as  these  regions  have  little  by  little  been 
explored,  most  of  them  have  been  shot  by  team- 
sters, whose  mules  and  horses  they  frightened 
into  the  wildest  of  stampedes. 

In  the  fall  of  1869  William  Sharon,  inter- 
ested not  only  upon  the  lode,  but  in  the  mills 
which  treated  the  ores,  completed  a  line  of 
railway  from  Virginia  City  and  the  mines,  down 
to  the  mills  on  the  Carson  river  and  to  Carson 
City,  and  the  following  year  extended  it  to  a 
connection  at  Reno  which  the  Central  Pacific 
railway  now  built. 

The  water  supply  for  the  overcrowded  towns 
of  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill  being  obtained 
from  tunnels  run  for  the  purpose,  and  from  the 
discharge  of  the  mines,  was  not  only  of  poor 
quality  but  inadequate  in  volume,  hence  in  1873 
a  company  known  as  the  Virginia  and  Gold 
Hill  Water  Company,  installed  a  pipe  line  from 
Hobart  creek  in  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  seven  and 


332  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

one-half  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line.  This 
pipe  was  twelve  inches  inside  diameter,  and  in 
crossing  Washoe  valley  sustained  a  head  of  over 
seventeeen  hundred  (IT 00)  feet,  a  remarkable 
example  for  this  or  later  times. 

In  1875  a  disastrous  fire  demonstrated  the 
inefficiency  of  this  line,  when  it  was  duplicated, 
the  supply  being  taken  from  Lake  Mariette 
in  the  Sierras. 

For  some  time  there  had  been  a  decrease  in 
the  output  of  the  mines  opened,  while  some 
were  out  of  ore  entirely.  Things  looked  uncer- 
tain and  discouraging  in  Virginia  City,  where, 
away  up  there  on  the  side  of  Mount  Davidson, 
city  lots  had  sold  as  high  as  $25,000  each.  In 
the  very  heart  of  the  lode  was  a  stretch  of  from 
twelve  to  thirteen  hundred  feet,  owned  by  dif- 
ferent parties  who  would  not,  or  could  not,  de- 
velop the  same  themselves,  and  had  placed  upon 
it  a  price  so  high  that  no  one  would  consider  it. 

In  the  camp  was  a  party  named  John  W. 
Mackey.  First  a  miner,  he  had  risen  to  super- 
intendent of  what  was  known  as  the  Caledonia 
Tunnel  and  Mining  company,  then  became  the 
owner  of  considerable  stock  in  the  Kentuck 
mine.  In  the  camp  was  also  another  party 
named  James  G.  Fair,  who  had  followed  pretty 
much  the  same  course  as  Mackey.  Associating 
themselves  together  they  obtained  control  of 
the  Hale  and  Norcross  mine,  which  at  that  time 
was  deemed  of  little  value.  Engaging  in  the 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  333 

operation  of  this,  they  developed  new  ore  bodies 
and  made  a  somewhat  marked  success. 

Associated  with  Mackey  and  Fair  in  the 
Hale  and  Norcross,  were  two  San  Francisco 
parties  (saloon  keepers)  named  James  C.  Flood 
and  William  O'Brien,  constituting  a  quartet  of 
Irishmen  whose  subsequent  success  will  be 
shown  to  be  notable. 

The  Hale  and  Norcross  was  finally  ex- 
hausted, and  the  quartet,  in  casting  about  for 
some  other  Holding  out  of  which  they  might 
make  a  mine,  settled  upon  the  undeveloped 
stretch  heretofore  referred  to,  which  had  under- 
gone no  change  save  that  the  various  owners 
had  consolidated  their  holdings  under  the  title 
of  the  Virginia  Consolidated  Mining  company. 
Obtaining  ownership  of  this  at  a  small  price, 
the  four  set  to  work  upon  its  development  by 
sinking  a  large  shaft  upon  the  property  and 
also  by  projecting  a  drift  into  the  ground  from 
the  1200  foot  level  of  the  Gould  and  Curry 
mine  and  through  the  Best  and  Belcher  mine 
which  lay  between. 

In  running  this  drift  they  followed  a  small 
streak  of  ore,  at  times  no  thicker  than  a  knife 
blade.  At  intervals  they  stopped  and  extended 
crosscuts  east  and  west.  Finding  nothing  they 
would  continue  following  the  little  seam  of  ore, 
where  at  last  at  a  point  178  feet  from  the  north 
boundary  of  the  Best  and  Belcher,  it  suddenly 
opened  to  a  vein  of  large  dimensions  filled  with 


334  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

ore  of  good  grade,  and  continued  to  widen  rap- 
idly as  the  drift  was  pushed  forward. 

Meanwhile  the  big  shaft  from  the  surface 
was  being  hurried  downward,  and  as  crosscuts 
were  extended  from  it  at  points  below  the  drift 
mentioned,  the  width  of  the  ore  body  showed 
itself  rapidly  increasing  until  a  maximum  width 
of  some  400  feet  had  been  determined,  of  an  ore 
running  in  value  from  $100  to  $600  per  ton. 
Gradually  excitement  had  increased  until  now 
it  knew  no  bounds,  and  no  mind  was  fitted  to 
make  a  rational  prophecy  of  the  volume  of 
wealth  which  this  one  great  treasure  chamber 
contained. 

The  other  mines  upon  the  lode  which 
had  heretofore  been  regarded  as  bonanzas, 
now  sunk  into  insignificance  in  the  light  of 
the  fabulous  riches  here  disclosed.  Still  the 
maddening  influence  was  felt  by  these  own- 
ers alike  with  others,  spurring  them  on  to 
redoubled  energy  in  development,  with  the 
belief  that  like  treasures  were  confined  in 
the  lode  throughout.  The  public  believed 
this  also,  and  the  stock  of  all  properties 
soared  skyward,  borne  irresistibly  upon  the  tor- 
nado of  wild,  delirious  imagination. 

The  ingenuity  of  mankind  was  taxed  to  its 
utmost  in  the  creation  of  appliances  wherewith 
to  more  rapidly  delve  into  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  and  extract  its  golden  contents.  The 
hoisting  engines  were  marvels  of  magnitude  and 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  335 

efficiency.     The  hoisting  capacity  of  the  Consol- 
idated Virginia  alone  being  2000  tons  per  day. 

Meanwhile  an  enterprise  of  great  magnitude, 
aside  from  the  mining  and  milling  of  these  ores, 
though  dependent  upon  the  same  for  its  success, 
was  now  hastening  to  a  completion.  In  1865, 
Adolph  Sutro,  with  others,  incorporated  through 
act  of  the  Nevada  state  legislature  what  was 
known  as  the  Sutro  Tunnel  Company.  Its 
mouth  or  portal  was  located  in  the  border  of 
the  Carson  valley,  and  its  proposed  length  to  be 
nearly  four  miles,  to  cut  the  Comstock  lode  at 
a  depth  of  about  1700  feet  below  the  collar  of 
the  Savage  Mining  Company's  shaft. 

From  its  inception,  the  enterprise  was  laden 
with  difficulties.  Still  undaunted,  Sutro  strug- 
gled on  accomplishing  a  little  each  year,  until 
at  last,  when  the  great  bonanza  was  encountered 
in  18Y3,  and  the  greater  depths  were  sought  by 
all  the  mines,  Sutro,  finding  money  easier  to  ob- 
tain, pushed  forward  with  redoubled  energy, 
aided  in  a  marked  degree  and  at  a  most  oppor- 
tune period  through  the  introduction  of  practical 
power  drills,  ( and,  incidentally,  whose  record  in 
this  work  has  never  since  been  equaled)  when 
on  the  8th  of  July,  1878,  the  heading  was  broken 
through  into  the  workings  of  the  Savage  mine, 
too  late,  however,  to  reap  the  full  reward  which 
an  earlier  entry  would  have  assured,  as  under 
the  stress  and  strain  of  the  five  years  preceding, 
millions  of  tons  of  ore  and  water  had  been  raised 


336  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

to  the  surface,  while  the  stopes  of  the  mines 
were  well  below  the  tunnel  level. 

The  heat  in  the  workings  (especially  below 
the  Sutro  tunnel  level)  of  all  the  mines  upon 
the  lode  was  intense;  its  increase  was  three 
degrees  of  temperature  with  each  100  feet  of 
depth.  Though  the  workings  reached  depths 
of  over  3000  feet,  this  was  not  due  to  an  ap- 
proach of  the  earth's  center,  but  was  conveyed 
by  ascending  hot  waters  in  part,  and  in  part 
by  the  decomposition  of  certain  rocks. 

The  workmen  employed  in  these  lower  levels 
were  necessarily  strong  and  vigorous.  Tons  of 
ice  were  daily  lowered  into  the  workings,  the 
men  in  no  case  working  over  a  half  hour,  and 
in  most  cases  but  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  when 
they  would  retreat  to  the  mouth  of  the  great 
blower  pipe  and  ice  pile,  while  a  fresh  crew 
with  pieces  of  ice  in  their  mouths  would  rush 
forward  to  the  breasts  for  a  short  and  trying 
shift.  All  worked  naked  to  the  waist,  and  in 
the  great  subterranean  chambers,  with  flitting 
lights,  ascending  vapors,  noisy  drills  and  roar- 
ing blasts,  it  provided  a  scene  in  which  Dante 
might  have  reveled.  Now  and  then  an  ill  fated 
wretch,  stumbling  in  the  darkness  or  slipping 
from  the  face  of  a  stope,  fell  into  a  sump  or  pool 
of  the  boiling  waters,  and  in  more  than  one 
instance  when  pulled  from  the  deadly  bath,  the 
flesh  fell  from  his  bones  into  the  seething  cal- 
dron from  whence  he  was  lifted.  Adding  to 
such  fatalities  those  arising  from  falling  down 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  337 

shafts,  being  crushed  by  falling  rock  and  smoth- 
ered in  drifts  through  great  cavings  which  closed 
the  openings  and  shut  off  their  only  means  of 
escape,  and  the  length  of  the  chapter  of  horrors 
presented  is  only  outdone  by  the  appalling  tale 
it  unfolds. 

The  lode  was  treacherous  and  difficult  to 
operate,  owing  to  the  combined  conditions  of 
its  immense  magnitude,  the  flood  of  water  which 
entered  its  lower  levels,  together  with  the  nature 
of  the  material  which  formed  the  great  vein 
being  loose,  incapable  of  self  support  and  the 
feldspathic  matter  tending  to  swell  upon  ex- 
posure. The  movement  of  the  great  mass  was 
almost  irresistible,  though  110  expense  was  spared 
in  the  attempt,  for  over  3000  human  beings 
were  at  all  times  of  day  and  night  scattered 
about,  thousands  of  feet  below  the  surface  in 
the  deadly  yawning  chasms  of  this  treacherous 
subterranean  field.  Hence  timber  of  the  best 
quality  was  employed  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  many  places  where  the  ground  was  the  heavi- 
est, the  ore  extracted  had  been  substituted  sol- 
idly therewith ;  and  even  this  was  soon  crushed 
or  compressed  to  a  fraction  of  its  original  bulk. 
To-day  there  exists,  deep  down  in  the  Comstock 
lode  and  scattered  throughout  its  entire  work- 
ings, timber  which  standing  upon  the  surface 
constituted  entire  forests. 

To  the  layman  in  such  matters  who  treads 
over  the  comparatively  silent  surface  of  to-day, 


338  EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

pausing  here  and  there  to  peer  downward  into 
the  deep,  dark  shafts,  once  golden  highways 
beyond  belief,  but  now  little  used,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  understand  all  this.  When,  however, 
we  leave  here  and  tramp  for  114  miles  about  the 
shores  of  Lake  Tahoe,  over  in  the  Sierras,  and 
far  back  from  its  water's  edge,  all  of  the  way 
over  ground  once  covered  thickly  by  a  forest 
of  towering  and  magnificent  pines,  the  position 
and  magnitude  of  each  of  which  is  to-day  clearly 
denoted  by  its  stump,  and  then  further  realize 
that  all  this  represents  but  a  minor  portion  of 
the  timber  employed,  the  devouring  capacity 
of  this  subterranean  monster,  from  whose  stom- 
ach had  been  extracted  the  ores  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver with  which  it  was  once  filled,  becomes  ap- 
parent. 

The  probable  cost  of  all  this  timber,  includ- 
ing transportation,  framing  and  putting  in  place, 
together  with  that  of  some  three  million  cords 
of  wood  consumed  at  the  mills  and  hoists  is 
not  far  from  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 

The  total  timber  which  has  gone  down  the 
shafts  and  into  the  workings  for  their  support, 
if  packed  in  one  solid  body,  would  form  a  cube 
at  least  500  feet  in  height,  500  feet  in  length 
and  500  feet  in  width.  The  gross  value  in  gold 
and  silver  of  all  ores  extracted  from  this  great 
storehouse  is  well  known  to  be  considerably 
more  than  seven  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of 
dollars,,  notwithstanding  published  statistics  of 
about  four  hundred  millions,  for  the  figures 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  339 

given  to  history  must  agree  with  those  from 
time  to  time  previously  given  to  the  assessor. 

In  addition  to  these  values,  it  is  estimated 
that  over  one  hundred  millions  have  passed  down 
the  Carson  river,  having  escaped  from  the  mills 
along  its  banks  in  which  the  ore  was  treated. 

The  geology  of  this  great  ore  deposit  was 
first  and  most  accurately,  though  briefly  and 
simply,  described  by  Baron  Von  Richthofen, 
who  was  sent  from  Europe  in  1865  by  a  syndi- 
cate who  contemplated  the  purchase  of  a  large 
block  of  stock  in  the  Sutro  tunnel  scheme.  In 
fact,  his  report  formed  a  document  of  reference 
in  all  of  the  later  examinations  which  followed, 
while  the  reports  subsequently  made  varied  in  no 
manner  worthy  of  mention  from  his  determin- 
ations, though  vastly  superior  advantages  were 
presented  later  authorities,  through  almost  un- 
limited development.  In  substance  he  says: 
"The  west  wall  of  the  lode  conforms  very  closely 
to  the  easterly  slope  of  the  range  and  its  con- 
tours, and  of  Mount  Davidson.  This  west  wall, 
along  the  greater  portion  of  the  vein,  and  espec- 
ially along  the  slope  of  Mount  Davidson,  is 
syenite  so  far  as  explored,  though  propylite  and 
occasional  occurrences  of  aphanite  are  met  with 
as  coming  in  contact  with  the  vein.  The  eastern 
wall  is  formed  of  endless  varieties  of  propylite. 
The  vein  matter  is  composed  of  fragments  of 
country  rock,  clay,  quartz  and  ores.  Near  the 
surface,  about  five-sixths  of  the  Comstock  vein 
consists  of  'horses'  of  syenite  and  propylite, 


340  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

most  largely  the  latter.  This  surface  width  of 
the  lode  including  its  'horses/  is  in  many  places 
500  feet  in  width.  A  clayey  selvage  at  many 
points-  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness, 
parts  the  vein  matter  from  each  of  the  walls,  and 
in  many  instances  from  th&  'horses/  through- 
out the  entire  length  of  the  vein,  so  far  as 
opened." 

When  the  great  Comstock  was  at  its  zenith 
of  production  and  the  extent  of  its  monstrous 
ore  bodies,  particularly  that  of  the  Virginia 
Consolidated  practically  unknown,  the  whole 
financial  world  was  for  the  time  being  in  a 
state  of  alarm  over  possible  results  to  the  future 
values  of  the  money  metals,  for  upon  the  ratio 
then  and  ever  before  maintained,  the  value  of 
the  production  in  gold  was  nearly  as  much  as 
that  in  silver,  or  more  accurately,  45  per  cent, 
gold  and  55  per  cent,  silver.  The  sight  alone 
of  the  breast  of  rich  ore  of  the  great  bonanza, 
400  feet  in  width  with  its  other  dimensions  un- 
determined, suggested  to  the  coolest  of  those 
most  concerned,  the  possibility  that  from  here 
alone  would  be  produced  a  volume  of  gold  and 
silver  which  would  soon  render  each  a  base 
metal. 

The  Comstock  has  come,  and  practically 
gone,  while  in  truth,  from  the  earlier  standpoint 
of  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number,  there 
is  yet  a  marked  shortage  of  both  silver  and  gold 
for  money  uses ! 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  341 

To  picture  the  lives  and  relate  the  deeds 
of  even  the  most  unique  of  the  characters  who 
abounded  in  the  midst  of  this  carnival  of  gold, 
though  most  interesting,  provides  material  of 
far  too  great  volume  to  embody  in  a  work  con- 
taining aught  else  but  this. 

The  fortunes,  and  through  these  fortunes, 
the  lives  of  the  four  great  bonanza  kings, 
Mackey,  Fair,  Flood  and  O'Brien,  have  received 
wide  publication,  yet  others  sprang  from,  passed 
their  lives,  and  went  into  oblivion  upon  the 
great  lode,  who,  had  they  not  been  so  completely 
overshadowed  by  the  four  towering  monuments 
of  success  referred  to,  would  have  become  far 
more  widely  known.  The  briefest  reference, 
however,  to  the  Comstock  and  its  characters  is 
unpardonably  incomplete,  which  fails  to  men- 
tion the  name  of  Sandy  Bowers.  Sandy  was 
one  of  the  early  comers  who  obtained  a  location 
upon  the  lode  at  a  time  in  which  its  future 
value  was  little  dreamed  of,  and  while  he  pa- 
tiently toiled  in  the  development  of  his  holdings, 
he  obtained  his  food  and  shelter  at  a  certain 
boarding  house  down  at  Gold  Hill,  kept  by  an 
industrious,  hard-working  Scotch  woman,  who 
was  also  the  owner  of  a  piece  of  ground  immedi- 
ately adjoining  that  belonging  to  Sandy.  Force 
of  circumstances  rendered  it  both  convenient  and 
advisable  for  them  to  pool  their  mining  inter- 
ests, and  but  a  short  time  later  their  joys  and 
sorrows;  and  now  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowers  were 
joint  owners  of  a  prospective  mine  at  one  end 


342  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

of  the  line  and  a  boarding  house  at  the  other; 
and  while  he  toiled  farther  up  on  the  mountain 
side  in  search  of  hidden  and  uncertain  wealth, 
she  labored  meanwhile,  and  late  into  the  night, 
along  less  hopeful  lines,  whereby  was  acquired 
the  necessary  funds  for  the  maintenance  of  each. 
Finally  Sandy's  pick  uncovered  the  treasure  for 
which  they  had  each  long  hoped  and  toiled,  and 
as  they  delved  deeper  and  deeper  into  their 
find,  it  ere  long  developed  a  magnitude  and 
wealth  beyond  question,  and  the  boarding  house 
was  closed,  and  they  each  evolved  with  a  single 
bound  out  of  plebian  and  into  the  surroundings 
of  patricians.  Their  wealth  now  poured  in 
upon  them  in  such  torrents  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  their  heads  were  kept  above 'the  flood. 
They  now  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a 
palace,  and  chose  a  location  out  across  Washoe 
valley  opposite  the  lake  and  close  up  under 
the  sheltering  shadows  of  the  towering  Sierras. 
Upon  the  construction  of  this  they  expended 
$500,000.  The  knobs  and  hinges  of  the  doors 
were  of  solid  silver,  taken  from  their  own  mine ; 
even  the  kitchen  range  was  trimmed  with  the 
same  material.  In  place  of  little,  insignificant 
bath-tubs,  they  fitted  up  an  elaborate  natatori- 
um,  which  was  fed  from  a  thermal  spring  near 
by.  When  all  this  was  complete,  they  decided 
to  engage  in  a  little  travel  and  take  a  look  at 
the  few  things  in  the  world  that  amounted  to 
anything  outside  of  Virginia  City  and  the  Corn- 
stock  lode.  To  this  end  they  drew  from  the  bank 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  343 

a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  and  later  made 
another  draft  to  enable  them  to  return  home. 

They  visited  Europe,  and  Mrs.  Bowers 
being  a  Scotch  woman  and  a  British  subject, 
they  caused  to  be  made  from  the  bullion  from 
their  own  mine,  a  most  elaborate  dinner  service 
of  gold  and  silver  (for  this  bullion  was  rich 
in  gold).  This  service  they  took  with  them, 
and  through  some  influence  attended  court  and 
were  presented  to  the  queen,  and  in  turn  pre- 
sented her  with  the  service  mentioned. 

They  purchased  and  sent  home  to  the  Bow- 
ers' mansion,  a  ship  load  of  things  that  no  one 
else  would  have,  and  then  returning,  installed 
themselves  amidst  all  this  wealth  and  grandeur, 
and  studied  other  and  more  extended  methods  of 
expenditure,  having  obtained  a  few  additional 
ideas  abroad. 

And  now  rapidly  came  reverses.  The  agent 
who  had  conducted  their  affairs  during  their  ab- 
sence had  proven  unworthy  of  his  stewardship. 
The  ore  bodies  in  their  mine  declined  in  mag- 
nitude and  richness,  and  soon  became  exhausted. 
Enormous  expenditures  and  bad  investments 
had  already  reduced  their  wealth  to  a  small  per 
cent  of  the  total  they  had  received. 

Soon  Sandy  died,  and  continued  misfortune 
shortly  left  the  widow  with  nothing  but  the 
Bowers  mansion.  She  had  always  followed  to 
some  extent  the  role  of  a  seeress,  and  now  en- 
tered upon  a  series  of  prophecies  relative  to  the 
Comstock.  Amongst  other  predictions  which  were 


344  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

promptly  fulfilled  at  the  day  and  hour  named, 
was  the  great  fire  of  April,  1869,  in  the  work- 
ings of  the  Grown  Point  and  Yellow  Jacket 
mines,  wherein  the  millions  of  dollars  of  dam- 
age resulting  was  attended  by  a  loss  of  life 
through  suffocation  and  burning  in  these  sub- 
terranean tombs  too  appalling  for  description. 
The  fulfillment  of  these  prophecies  now  made 
her  famous,  and  the  advice  of  the  "Washoe 
Seeress,"  as  she  was  termed,  was  sought  on 
every  hand.  Scarce  an  operator  on  the  Corn- 
stock  failed  to  consult  her,  while  the  fees  she  re- 
ceived were  enormous,  yet  this  money  seemed 
to  follow  her  previous  wealth,  and  her  services 
later  being  less  sought,  she  again  found  herself 
roaming  penniless  through  the  stately  halls  of 
her  mansion,  which  she  now  converted  into  a 
source  of  revenue,  and  for  years,  dwelling  there 
alone,  rented  it  and  its  grounds  for  picnics  and 
dances  to  pleasure  parties  from  Reno,  Carson 
and  Virginia,  while  she,  incidentally,  catered 
to  the  believers  amongst  them,  by  telling  a  for- 
tune for  50  cents,  for  which  she  had  in  time 
past  received  as  high  as  a  thousand  dollars. 
Finally,  declining  years  and  inability  to  even 
keep  the  great  place  in  a  state  of  repair,  (though 
the  authorities  had  waived  her  taxes  for  many 
years)  induced  her  to  abandon  the  loneliness 
and  responsibilities  of  her  queenly  abode  and 
flee  from  the  mockery  of  its  decaying  magnifi- 
cence. She  went  to  San  Francisco  and  there 
eked  out  an  existence  at  her  old  profession  of 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  345 

fortune  telling,  until  one  day,  later,  the  east 
bound  overland  train,  stopping  at  Reno,  an  old 
lady  past  80  years  of  age,  decrepit  and  ill,  was 
helped  from  the  day  coach,  and  tottering  into 
the  waiting  room  of  the  station,  seated  herself 
and  asked  to  see  some  of  the  town  authorities, 
that  she  might  receive  a  home  in  the  county 
poor  house.  It  was  the  Washoe  seeress. 

To-day  in  traveling  between  Reno  and  Car- 
son, as  one  looks  from  the  car  window  far  out 
across  the  Washoe  valley,  at  the  grim  old  ruin, 
once  her  palatial  home,  now  stripped  of  its 
magnificent  appointments,  tottering  under  the 
touch  of  decay,  and  dwarfed  through  distance, 
and  the  massive,  towering  Sierras,  at  whose  foot 
it  nestles,  it  appeals  to  us  as  the  most  inter- 
esting of  the  many  monuments  which  still  re- 
main, each  possessed  of  its  own  tale  of  poverty 
and  affluence,  sorrows  and  joys,  strife  and 
profligacy,  with  which  early  life  on  the  great 
Comstock  was  so  fruitful. 

And  finally  (aside  from  the  Grosh  brothers, 
whose  misfortunes  and  death  are  hereinbefore 
related)  what  of  the  fortunes  and  final  ending 
of  the  early  locators  of  1859,  Finney,  O'Riley, 
McLaughlin  and  Comstock  ? 

Finney,  after  two  years  of  a  profligate 
drunken  existence,  fell  from  his  horse  and  was 
killed. 

O'Riley  lost  his  money  in  other  and  more 
visionary  mining  prospects,  then  losing  his  rea- 


346  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

son,  was  consigned  to  an  insane  asylum,  where 
he  soon  died. 

McLaughlin,  through  general  misfortune, 
soon  lost  his  competence,  and  spent  the  balance 
of  his  life  in  the  performance  of  menial  duties, 
finally  dying  in  the  county  hospital  of  San 
Bernardino  county,  California,  friendless,  pen- 
niless and  unknown. 

Comstock,  the  least  worthy  of  them  all, 
squandered  his  money  in  the  gratification  of 
tastes  common  to  a  person  of  his  character  and 
inclinations,  then  became  a  wandering  and 
worthless  prospector,  and  finally  through  drink 
and  general  dissipation,  parting  with  what  little 
mind  he  ever  possessed,  wandered  about  the 
country,  owning  in  his  imagination  the  entire 
lode  which  bore  his  name,  and  presenting  to 
those  he  met  princely  portions  of  the  great  bo- 
nanza. At  length,  wandering  into  the  little  min- 
ing camp  of  Bonanza,  Montana,  his  senses 
cleared  for  an  instant,  when,  seeming  to  realize 
his  true  condition,  he  seized  a  six  shooter,  and 
blowing  out  his  brains,  was  rudely  interred  in 
an  obscure  and  unmarked  grave,  September  27, 
1870. 

Thus  endeth  a  brief  history  of  the  greatest 
individual  occurrence  of  the  precious  metal 
ores  the  world  has  so  far  known. 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

The  spring  time  was  again  approaching  and 
with  it  the  usual  feeling  of  unrest  that  afflicts 
the  confirmed  prospector.  Numerous  fields 
scattered  over  a  wide  area  presented  their  allur- 
ing and  deceptive  attractions. 

Leadville  had  now  reached  the  zenith  of  its 
glory  and  production.  The  ores  of  Cripple 
Creek  yet  remained  undiscovered.  While  Butte, 
Montana,  though  a  camp  dating  from  the  60's 
when  gold  was  first  discovered  in  Missoula 
gulch,  had  worked  its  way  through  a  lengthy, 
trying,  uneventful  period  of  gold  and  silver 
production,  until  now,  during  the  winter  of 
JT9  and  '80,  it  was  attracting  the  world's  at- 
tention through  the  development  of  a  new  in- 
dustry, and  the  well  established  fact  that  its 
copper  deposits  were  of  startling  magnitude. 
The  town  built  upon  the  south  face  of  the 
mountain  which  sloped  to  the  plain  below, 
rested  upon  a  great  field  of  eruptive  granite, 
bordered  but  a  short  distance  to  the  west  by  an 
area  many  square  miles  in  extent  of  more  strict- 
ly eruptive  matter,  as  rhyolite  and  kindred  rocks. 

Stretching  away  down  the  mountain  toward 
the  east  from  the  rhyolite  contact,  underlying 
the  city  and  a  great  area  to  the  north,  coursed  a 
system  of  veins  some  of  which,  being  worked 


348  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

originally  for  silver,  upon  reaching  the  limit 
of  oxidization  led  their  owners  into  the  far  more 
extensive  and  remunerative  field  of  pyritlcal 
ores  of  copper. 

Far  away  to  the  south  in  the  desert  of 
Arizona,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
there  had  now  also  sprung  into  existence,  and 
already  gained  full-fledged  form,  the  wildest  and 
most  alluring  of  all  the  then  mining  centers, 
"Tombstone."  Its  discoveries  and  output  of 
silver,  coupled  with  a  certain  wild,  untamed 
environment  it  enjoyed,  worked  well  together 
in  endowing  the  great  majority  everywhere  with 
the  infatuation  for  which  they  longed.  Located 
away  up  in  a  group  of  barren  hills  which  bor- 
dered the  Rio  San  Pedro  on  the  east  and  some 
eight  miles  distant,  it  enjoyed  a  position  of 
superior  freedom,  even  in  this  practically  unin- 
ha.bited  region,  from  the  dominance  or  interfer- 
ence of  organizations  for  the  promotion  of  law 
and  order,  or  the  levers  thereof.  The  only  com- 
petition of  importance  which  the  lawless,  riot- 
ous element  which,  unrestrained,  flooded  the 
camp,  had,  was  on  the  part  of  the  Apaches 
under  old  "Cochise,"  who  dwelt  (when  safety 
demanded)  in  what  was  known  as  "Cochise" 
stronghold,  over  in  the  Dragoon  mountains 
about  twelve  miles  to  the  northeast,  and  far  up 
in  its  fastnesses  in  a  little  apot  hole"  of  a 
park  where  water  existed  and  some  feed  grew, 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  349 

encircled  by  a  rim  of  towering  rocks,  render- 
ing it  practically  inacessible  at  but  one  point. 
And  here  the  wily  Apache  retreated  when  he 
deemed  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor, 
and  dwelt  for  years  in  safety,  and  defied  all 
the  world  of  which  he  knew,  the  IT.  S.  soldiers 
over  at  Fort  Grant,  twenty  miles  to  the  north  in 
the  Pinaleno  range,  included. 

And  thus  Cochise  stronghold  and  Tombstone 
became  rival  retreats;  the  one  for  the  Apache, 
and  the  other  for  the  white  outlaw,  of  which  the 
country  soon  became  well  infested. 

Tombstone,  owing  to  its  advantages,  soon 
added  to  its  silver  industry  others  (legitimate 
and  otherwise)  which  soon  swelled  its  popula- 
tion to  some  10,000  or  12,000  beings.  It  be- 
came somewhat  of  a  supply  and  distributing 
point  for  the  great  unprovided  area  roundabout, 
now  fast  becoming  inhabited  by  the  prospector 
and  others  through  the  influence  of  the  Tomb- 
stone discoveries,  and  its  aptly  named  news- 
paper the  "Epitaph."  Another  important  and 
remunerative  industry  was  that  of  delivering 
American  goods  over  the  line  and  into  the  Re- 
public of  Mexico,  and  bringing  Mexican  goods 
back  into  Tombstone,  in  each  case  free  of  duty, 
a  pursuit  commonly  called  smuggling.  The  ab- 
solute boldness  with  which  this  occupation  was 
engaged  in  was  never  dreamed  of  on  the  part  of 
a  southern  "moonshiner."  In  the  broad  light 
of  the  midday,  groups  of  well  known  con- 


350  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

trabandists  might  have  been  seen  boldly  load- 
ing jack  trains  with  all  manner  of  merchandise 
from  the  various  business  houses  on  "Whiskey 
Row/'  the  leading  thoroughfare  of  the  town. 

From  here  they  would  start  out  in  various 
directions,  apparently  to  supply  isolated  camps 
upon  the  desert  and  in  the  hills,  when,  after 
a  round-about  course,  they  would  finally,  after 
night  fall,  rendezvous  at  some  hidden  point  near 
the  line,  where,  from  their  concealment,  they 
could  watch  the  line  rider  on  the  Mexican  side, 
when,  after  he  had  passed,  they  would,  under 
cover  of  darkness,  hasten  across.  Returning 
with  their  loads  of  Mexican  goods,  the  opera- 
tion was  simply  repeated,  with  the  exception 
that  the  Mexican  line  rider  was  ignored  and 
the  American  avoided. 

The  ores  of  this  camp,  though  of  high  grade, 
were  so  far  removed  from  railway  lines  that 
the  long  wagon  haul  involved  a  loss  greater  than 
the  difference  in  saving  between  the  smelter  and 
that  of  milling.  Hence,  they  were  treated  in 
mills  erected  upon  the  banks  of  the  Rio  San 
Pedro  eight  miles  distant,  and  here  another 
town  sprang  up  known  as  Charleston,  which 
soon  became  a  formidable  rival  of  Tombstone 
along  the  lines  of  general  outlawry. 

The  ores  were  most  largely  silver  bearing, 
producing  upon  an  average  eight  dollars  of  the 
white  metal  (at  the  then  existing  price)  to  one 
dollar  of  the  yellow.  The  total  production  hav- 


EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  351 

ing  been  three  and  one-quarter  million  dollars 
in  gold,  and  twenty-five  millions  in  silver,  to- 
gether with  a  bi-product  of  about  five  thousand 
tons  of  lead  and  a  later  product  of  some  con- 
siderable manganese  of  commercial  value. 

The  ores  occurred  in  alternate  sheets  of  lime, 
quartzite  and  shale,  having  a  total  thickness  of 
about  three  thousand  feet,  folded  and  otherwise 
disturbed  through  the  influences  of  an  adjacent 
field  of  massive  diorite.  The  ore  presented  it- 
self both  in  fissure  veins  and  bedded  deposits ; 
the  veins  were  vertical  or  nearly  so,  and  occurred 
along  or  near  dikes  of  eruptive  material,  while 
the  bedded  deposits  were  along  anticlinal  folds 
of  the  strata.  Little  ore  was  found  in  the  shales 
except  in  the  fissures,  from  which,  however, 
about  one-half  of  the  camp's  production  came. 
Manganese  in  both  oxide  and  sulphide  form 
occurred  to  some  extent  in  nearly  all  of  the 
mines. 

The  main  properties  were  the  Grand  Cen- 
tral, Contention,  Head  Center  and  others  with 
less  dignified  names,  such  as,  the  Way  Up, 
Good  Enough,  Tough  Nut,  and  Lucky  Cuss. 

The  great  deserts  of  Arizona,  southern  Cal- 
ifornia and  portions  of  New  Mexico  were,  in  the 
days  preceding  the  discovery  of  Tombstone  and 
until  the  building  of  the  Southern  Pacific  and 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  railways,  a  trackless  waste, 
penetrated  only  by  mule  and  ox  teams  from 
Santa  Fe  and  Albuquerque  on  the  east,  or 

28 


352  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

from  that  water  way,  the  Colorado  river,  which 
wends  its  sinuous  course  from  north  to  south 
through  the  desolation  and  solitude  of  that  great 
burning,  barren  waste,  well  toward  the  west. 
This  great  river,  formed  from  a  major  portion 
of  the  drainage  of  Utah,  Colorado  and  Wyom- 
ing, first  carves  for  itself  a  channel  hun- 
dreds of  miles  in  length,  and  in  many  places  a 
mile  or  more  in  depth,  through  the  elevated 
and  extremely  arid  regions  of  northern  Ari- 
zona and  southern  Utah,  where  the  lack  of  rain 
fall  and  consequent  lack  of  erosion,  or  destruc- 
tion of  land  surface  on  either  side,  has  pre- 
served the  original  elevation  of  the  adjacent 
country,  while  the  noble  stream,  tearing  away 
at  its  bed  through  countless  ages,  has  finally 
created  that  masterpiece  of  earth  sculpture 
known  as  the  canon  of  the  Colorado. 

For  three  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth  it 
was  for  many  years  an  active  highway  that  fed 
the  trackless  desert  east  and  west  for  hundreds 
of  miles.  Freight  and  passengers  were  deliv- 
ered by  ocean  transit  at  the  head  of  the  gulf 
of  California,  where  they  were  met  by  the  river 
streamers,  "Gila"  and  "Mohave."  Though  now 
of  ancient  type,  they  were  powerful ;  for  the 
current  of  the  Colorado,  especially  in  high 
water,  was  a  force  no  ordinary  boat  could  con- 
tend with.  For  forty  years  they  navigated  this 
stream,  one  under  the  command  of  Captain  Pol- 
hamus,  and  the  other  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Mellon,  and  probably  no  steam  conveyance 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  353 

ever,  for  so  great  a  length  of  time,  entered  a 
field  of  such  varied  types  and  methods,  or  one 
that  so  perfectly  maintained  through  all  time 
the  unrestrained  customs  of  a  wild  and  desolate 
frontier.  Far  away  up  from  its  mouth  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  or  more, 
and  on  the  Arizona  shore,  there  was  founded 
(near  the  close  of  the  Rebellion)  a  town  called 
La  Paz.  It  was  at  a  convenient  point  on  the 
river  for  reaching  a  large  trade  in  the  desert, 
and  moreover  situated  near  the  mouth  of  a  large 
drain  where  rich  placer  digging  had  been  dis- 
covered. And  now,  away  there  in  the  solitude 
of  this  remote  desert  waste,  it  suddenly  grew 
into  a  city  of  some  fifteen  thousand  or  more 
inhabitants,  and  was  the  mecca  toward  which 
drifted  sooner  or  later  every  outlaw,  male  and 
female,  Mexican  and  white,  from  out  of  every 
quarter  of  the  boundless,  wild  domain  which  sur- 
rounded it;  until  at  last,  seemingly  through  its 
inordinate  iniquity,  the  hand  of  providence 
smote  it.  Not  with  fire  or  tempest,  but  through 
the  operation  of  a  comparatively  gentle  flood. 
The  melting  snows  far  away  in  the  northlands 
produced  the  annual  high  water  in  the  river, 
when,  the  formidable  and  persistent  stream, 
obstructed  and  impeded  by  the  formation  of 
a  great  sand  bar  in  the  vicinity,  suddenly 
changed  its  course  and  formed  a  new  channel, 
leaving  La  Paz  and  its  occupants  a  mile  inland. 
There  was  now  no  alternative  but  to  remain 
helpless  in  an  exiled  town  or  return  to  the  river. 


354  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

It  was  impassible  to  remove  the  buildings,  as  they 
were  all  built  of  adobe;  and  so  the  population 
gathered  up  their  goods,  and  laden  with  these 
and  their  misfortune,  wended  their  way  down 
the  river  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  where 
a  deep  channel  of  the  stream  came  in  contact 
with  an  indestructible  bank,  and  here  founded 
a  new  town  named  Ehrenberg,  after  that  re- 
nowned scientist. 

In  recent  years,  the  writer,  during  a  night 
journey  from  the  Chem-e-huev-vis  Indian  reser- 
vation south,  wandered,  near  midnight,  into 
what  was  once  the  main  business  thoroughfare, 
nearly  a  mile  in  length,  of  this  long-since  ab- 
solutely deserted  city  of  La  Paz.  It  was  in  the 
early  summer,  and  in  this  arid  region,  the  un- 
restricted rays  of  a  full  moon  fell  weirdly  and 
silently  upon  this  equally  silent  scene  of  deso- 
lation and  decay.  Here  and  there,  patches  of 
cement  sidewalk  peeped  from  beneath  accumu- 
lations of  drifted  sands,  while  an  occasional 
iron  shutter  of  a  once  pretentious  warehouse, 
dance  hall,  or  saloon,  still  clung  tenaciously  by 
one  hinge  to  an  opening  in  a  now  crumbling 
adobe  wall;  while,  in  numerous  instances,  in- 
side these  ruined  enclosures,  where  the  din  and 
clamor  of  trade  and  revelry  had  long  since 
ceased,  and  the  roof  had  later  fallen  in,  there 
had  since  grown  to  its  fullest  size  a  mesquite 
tree,  whose  branches  overhung  and  tenderly 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  355 

sheltered  the  tottering  work  of  man,  now  rap- 
idly passing  back  to  earth  again. 

A  short  distance  ahead,  a  desert  wolf  glided 
noiselessly  out  of  the  sheltering  shadows  of  the 
ruins  upon  the  right,  into  the  full  light  of  the 
moon-lit  street,  paused  for  an  instant  to  note 
our  approach,  then  as  silently  as  the  shadow 
which  accompanied  him,  disappeared  midst 
the  fastnesses  of  the  ruins  upon  our  left. 
A  rattle  -  snake  of  the  "side  winder"  type 
wriggled  hurriedly  from  out  the  pathway  of 
the  mule  team,  and  viciously  buzzed  its 
threats  as  we  passed.  This  with  a  single 
sharp  howl  of  protest  from  the  wolf,  which 
reached  us  later  on,  were  the  only  sounds 
that  rent  the  stilly  stillness  of  the  midnight  air, 
as  we  stole  silently  on  through  the  dark,  des- 
olate, uncanny  scene,  and  out  past  the  cluster 
of  barren  mounds  that  marked  the  resting  place 
of  the  remains  of  La  Paz  dead,  nine-tenths  of 
whom  died  with  their  boots  on. 

Ehrenberg,  though  an  important  river  land- 
ing, never  reached  the  proportions  of  La  Paz. 
Yet,  proportionate  to  its  size,  there  was  little 
La  Paz  could  boast  of  in  the  way  of  wild  and 
woolly  waywardness  that  Ehrenberg  was  a 
stranger  to.  Not  many  years  after  its  estab- 
lishment, the  extension  of  railway  lines  robbed 
the  river  of  its  importance  as  a  thoroughfare ;  the 
steamers  made  less  and  less  frequent  trips,  until 
to-day  Ehrenberg  has  become  but  a  point  marked 


356  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

by  the  ruins  of  its  former  greatness,  and  inhab- 
ited only  by  some  forty  or  fifty  Mexicans  and 
Indians,  whose  numbers  are  at  intervals  in- 
creased temporarily  by  the  visits  of  white  and 
Mexican  "dry  washers"  for  gold,  scattered 
about  in  the  ranges  bordering  the  river  valley. 

Many  interesting  and  surprising  tales  are 
related  of  happenings  in  and  about  these  two  old 
river  towns.  One  well  authenticated,  and  the 
hero  of  which  (a  Mohave  Indian)  was  personal- 
ly known  to  the  writer,  appeals  strongly  to  all 
lovers  of  athletics  as  a  matter  worthy  of  record. 
To  all  people  possessed  of  any  knowledge  of 
them,  the  wonderful  feats  of  the  desert  tribes 
(and  particularly  of  the  Mohaves)  in  long-dis- 
tance running  are  well  known. 

In  the  early  days  of  Ehrenberg,  a  man  was 
one  day  frightfully  burned  by  kerosene;  there 
was  no  physician  and  no  drug  store  in  this  ex- 
tremely frontier  town;  a  noted  Mohave  runner 
who  dwelt  along  the  river  nearby,  was  hastily 
engaged  to  run  to  Fort  Yuma,  a  govern- 
ment post  later  occupied  as  a  Catholic  school, 
situated  on  the  California  side  of  the  river, 
directly  opposite  the  present  town  of  Yuma. 

The  distance  from  Ehrenberg  to  Fort  Yuma, 
as  the  crow  flies  and  as  determined  by  the  gov- 
ernment surveys,  is  sixty  miles.  By  the  nearest 
trail  possible  for  the  Indian  to  take,  it  was  at 
least  seventy-five  miles  and  involved  swimming 
the  river  once  each  way.  The  distance  follow- 
ing the  river,  and  owing  to  the  great  bend  which 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  357 

it  makes  to  the  east  between  these  points,  is 
more  than  one  hundred  miles.  The  agreement 
with  the  Indian  was  that  he  was  to  receive  ten 
dollars  for  the  trip  and  an  additional  ten 
dollars  if  he  returned  within  twenty  -  four 
hours.  The  Indian  prepared  himself  quickly 
for  the  undertaking,  and  following  the  trail 
mentioned,  disappeared.  Well  inside  the  twen- 
ty-four hour  limit  he  ran  into  Ehrenberg  on 
his  return,  bringing  with  him  the  packages  of 
medicine  for  which  he  had  been  sent,  each  pack- 
age bearing  proper  labels  from  the  Yuma  dis- 
pensary. His  appearance  there,  however,  was 
further  verified  later,  and  there  was  no  living 
being  along  the  trail  between  the  two  places 
from  whom  he  could  have  obtained  any  assist- 
ance, even  if  such  were  of  value  to  him ;  and  it 
remains  a  fact  from  the  very  best  evidence  that 
this  Indian  ran  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  and  that 
over  a  barren,  stony  desert,  interspersed  with 
deep,  dry  gulches  and  ravines,  in  and  out  of 
which  he  was  forced  to  climb,  and  in  addition  to 
all  of  which,  swam  the  river  twice. 

Receiving  his  twenty  dollars,  he  bought 
some  choice  food,  then  crawling  into  the  shel- 
ter of  a  clump  of  mesquite  trees  down  by  the 
river  bank,  he  ate  and  slept  alternately  for 
two  days,  when  he  reappeared  in  seemingly 
perfect  form,  having  beaten  by  far  the  great- 
est run  heretofore  ever  made  by  any  human 
being,  for  twenty-four  consecutive  hours,  of 


358  REMINISCENT    E  AMBLINGS. 

which  the  world  has  any  positive  or  even  re- 
liable evidence. 

The  vastness  of  the  great  desert  which  lies 
both  to  the  east  and  west  of  the  Colorado  river, 
is  but  imperfectly  realized  by  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  intelligent  citizens  of  the  country 
to  which  it  belongs.  As  an  instance  of  this, 
and  the  solitude  born  of  lack  of  habitation, 
the  incident  may  be  interesting  to  relate,  in 
which  the  writer,  accompanied  by  a  thoughtful 
and  well-informed  companion  and  friend,  in 
journeying  through  the  great  waste  bordering 
the  river  on  the  east,  approached,  near  the  close 
of  a  day,  the  head  of  a  wide  and  barren  valley 
up  which  we  had  traveled  the  entire  day,  and 
where  it  now,  as  we  could  see  before  us  at 
a  distance  of  some  thirty  miles,  terminated  in 
a  great  and  perfect  amphitheater.  It  was,  how- 
ever, only  one  of  hundreds  of  such  topograph- 
ical features  that  occur  in  this  boundless  waste ; 
yet  suggested,  perhaps,  through  the  occasional 
speculation  one  hears  indulged  in,  as  to  the 
possibility  of  the  lack  of  standing  room  upon 
the  earth  in  time  to  come,  owing  to  its  rapidly 
increasing  population,  we  engaged  in  estimates 
of  capacity  for  its  various  uses. 

To  the  east  of  us  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles 
lay  a  low  range  of  mountains;  to  the  west  an 
equal  distance  lay  a  somewhat  lower  range, 
while  along  the  foot  of  its  western  slope  flowed 
the  Colorado  river.  These  two  ranges  were 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  359 

connected  at  a  point  about  thirty  miles  ahead, 
by  a  still  lower  range.  Enclosed  by  the  three 
lay  a  great  arid  plain  of  magnificent  area. 
After  a  mass  of  calculations  engaged  in,  while 
the  team  toiled  onward  through  sand  and  sage- 
brush, we  readily  deduced  the  following  results. 
That  first,  in  this  comparatively  insignificant 
enclosure  that  confronted  us,  the  armies  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  could  maneuver  with 
ample  room,  and  the  army  of  no  one  nation  ap- 
proach within  rifle  range  of  that  of  another. 

Secondly,  that  herein  might  be  congregated 
the  entire  human  life  of  the  earth,  with  ample 
room  for  free  movement,  while  the  traveler 
might  journey  along  its  borders,  five  miles  dis- 
tant therefrom,  separated  by  the  small  ranges 
referred  to  and  remain  unconscious  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  single  being  therein. 

Notwithstanding  the  exploration  which  had 
been  engaged  in,  and  the  introduction  through- 
out its  most  remote  and  inaccessible  portions, 
in  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  of  an  advanced 
people  and  their  methods,  the  noble  Colorado 
has  retrograded  rather  than  advanced  in  its  use- 
fulness, and  to-day  shares  but  little  part  in  the 
great  changes  of  the  recent  past.  The  Southern 
Pacific  railway,  penetrating  the  most  forbid- 
ding portions  of  the  desert  from  east  to  west, 
crosses  it  at  Yuma  near  its  mouth,  while  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  railway,  following  the 
same  general  course  and  crossing  at  Needles, 


360  REMINISCENT    KAMBI.INGS. 

nearly  three  hundred  miles  farther  north,  have 
drained  the  traffic  of  the  once  busy  waterway, 
until  to-day  its  broad  and  shining  surface,  re- 
mains placid  and  undisturbed,  save  at  points 
where  its  waters,  circling  rapidly,  form  a  huge 
and  dangerous  whirlpool,  the  tempestuous,  boil- 
ing mass  arising  from  the  majestic  flood's 
resentment  and  attack  upon  some  meddlesome 
sand  bar  which  seeks  to  obstruct  its  silent,  peace- 
ful course,  or  the  silvery  wake  of  an  Indian's 
boat  as  he  pilots  a  pilgrim  from  the  Needles  to 
some  landing  on  the  river  far  below. 

The  Gila  and  Mohave,  once  proud  factors  in 
the  country's  reclamation  and  advancement,  and 
whose  names  were  known  throughout  the  land, 
now  rest  at  Yuma,  crippled  and  forlorn,  moored 
to  the  sympathetic  shores  of  that  noble  stream 
whose  waters  their  ponderous  stern  wheels  will 
never  again  disturb,  patiently  awaiting  the 
final  stroke  of  the  relentless  hand  of  decay. 
While  their  respective  captains  through  all  the 
years  of  their  active  service,  (and  now  aged 
men)  dwell  beside,  and  linger  fondly  about  their 
loved  craft,  watching  with  gradually  bedimmed 
sight  the  growing  ruins  of  their  pride.  Then 
gazing  far  up  the  river  to  Castle  Dome,  that 
prominent  landmark  and  point  in  river  navi- 
gation of  the  past,  they  lead  again,  in  fancy, 
the  proud  existence  of  those  good  old  days,  when, 
with  boilers  steaming  from  the  intense  heat  of 
"mesquite,"  apalo  verde"  and  "ironwood,"  a 
hurrying  crowd  of  deck  hands  (Mohave  In- 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  361 

dians)  running  hither  and  thither,  the  cabins 
filled  with  passengers  who  paid  a  high  rate  of 
fare,  their  decks  loaded  to.  the  water's  edge  with 
merchandise  at  an  equally  high  rate,  they  in 
the  exuberance  of  younger  life,  and  in  exulta- 
tion over  an  occupation  to  which  they  were  fond- 
ly wed,  strode  proudly  the  upper  deck,  fore  and 
aft,  and  from  rail  to  rail,  shouting  their  orders, 
now  in  Spanish  and  again  in  the  Mohave 
tongue,  to  the  boat's  crew  below ;  and  the  great 
stern  wheel  tore  madly  at  the  swift  running 
waters  of  the  stream,  while  the  craft  forged 
steadily  onward  against  the  rapid  current,  and 
away  up  the  watery  pathway  and  out  into  the 
glimmer  and  glare  of  the  heated  desert,  until 
finally  lost  to  view  in  the  desolate  waste  about 
Castle  Dome. 

It  was  indeed  a  curious  sight  to  the  onlookers 
who,  standing  amidst  the  burning  sands  of  the 
desert,  far  removed  from  sight  of  the  river 
and  miles  distant  from  its  shores,  saw  for  the 
first  time  the  smoke  stacks  and  upper  works  of 
a  steamboat  sailing  smoothly  along  through  this 
arid  waste;  its  upward  course  slow  in  case  of 
either  high  or  low  water.  In  low  water,  the 
shifting  channel  and  numerous  sand  bars  made 
progress  slow,  while  in  high  water  a  seven  to 
ten-mile  per  hour  current  was  a  formidable 
force  to  make  headway  against.  Upon  the  down 
river  trip,  however,  it  was  different ;  there  being 
nothing  to  contend  with  but  snags  and  whirl- 
pools; and  many  years  ago,  during  extremely 


362  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

high  water  in  the  river,  the  Mohave  is  recorded 
as  having  made  the  run  from  the  Needles  to 
Yuma,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles  in  ten 
hours,  much  of  the  distance  having  been  sailed 
a  mile  or  more  from  the  river  channel,  for  the 
Colorado  in  high  water  is,  at  points,  many  miles 
in  width.  A  whirlpool  that  would  engulf  a 
powerful  river  steamboat  of  any  considerable 
size,  is  difficult  to  understand,  but  the  Colorado, 
in  high  water,  abounds  with  such,  in  which  both 
the  Gila  and  Mohave  have  been  entrapped  for 
many  hours  at  a  time,  and  narrowly  escaped 
destruction. 

Wherein  this  great  area,  particularly  that 
lying  south  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  railway, 
and  between  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  east  and 
the  San  Jacinto  range  of  mountains  on  the  west, 
is,  so  far  as  the  productiveness  of  its  soil  is  con- 
cerned, probably  as  barren  and  forbidding  as 
that  to  be  found  in  any  country,  it,  taken  as 
a  whole,  furnishes  support  for  a  great  number 
of  range  cattle,  while  the  few  streams  that  exist 
have  been  made  to  reclaim  and  render  produc- 
tive, small  areas  within  their  reach;  yet  this 
is  but  a  tithing  of  the  real  value  of  this  other- 
wise seemingly  worthless  domain. 

At  about  the  time  that  the  great  flood  of 
igneous  matter  was  poured  out  over  the  north- 
west, another  deluge  of  like  character  was  spread 
over  the  southwest,  covering  an  area  of  some 
fifty  thousand  miles. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  363 

The  intense  plutonic  action  enriched  the 
crust  of  the  area  through  a  generous  and  wide- 
spread distribution  of  metals,  far  beyond  that 
of  the  more  enormous  and  still  wider  spread 
eruptive  flood  of  the  northwest. 

Long  before  the  days  of  Tombstone,  or  even 
Prescott,  and  while  yet  the  wily  and  blood- 
thirsty Apache  was  monarch  of  mountain  and 
plain,  much  was  known  of  rich  occurrences  of 
both  gold  and  silver  in  this  wilderness  of  rattle- 
snakes, scorpions,  cactus  and  thirst,  and  numer- 
ous discoveries  were  made  and  operations  en- 
gaged in  on  some  considerable  scale,  while 
numberless  adventurous  prospectors  crossed  its 
borders  and,  penetrating  too  deeply  into  its  fast- 
nesses, remained  absent  evermore;  for  the 
Apache  guarded  well  this  domain,  and  under 
Chief  Geronimo,  administered  to  all  invaders 
caught,  punishment  so  merciless,  brutal  and  re- 
volting, as  to  shock  the  most  hardened  of 
humanity. 

The  IT.  S.  soldiers  hunted  this  chief  and 
his  followers  for  years  with  no  important  result 
other  than  that  this,  coupled  with  increased  in- 
vasion of  the  whites,  finally  rendered  it  advis- 
able in  the  prudent  mind  of  Geronimo  to  cross 
the  border  with  his  band  upon  important  occa- 
sions and  rest  easily  in  the  fastnesses  of  the 
Sierra  Madre  mountains  of  Mexico  until  mat- 
ters at  home  had  quieted  down  a  little.  They 
had,  however,  through  a  long  period  of  active 


364  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

depredations  in  the  United  States,  become  so 
industrious  and  ambitious  along  this  line  -that 
the  frequent  lengthy  and  idle  sojourns  in  Mex- 
ico became  tame  and  tiresome,  and  they  resolved 
to  liven  matters  a  little  by  inaugurating  mean- 
while a  branch  department  of  theft  and 
slaughter  amongst  the  Mexicans.  This  soon 
brought  upon  them  a  hunt  to  the  death  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexican  government,  when  (the  bor- 
der being  now  lined  with  soldiers  and  others  on 
the  American  side,  and  being  cornered  by  the 
Mexicans,  and  knowing  positively  that  capture 
by  them  meant  being  at  once  lined  up  and  shot 
without  trial  or  parleying  of  whatsoever  nature) 
they  stepped  over  the  line  and  into  the  more 
tender  grasp  of  the  Americans ;  while  Geronimo 
himself,  through  all  the  years  which  have 
since  elapsed  has  grown  into  a  prominent  figure 
down  amongst  the  swamps  of  the  south,  to  which 
he  was  transferred. 

This  stopped  Apache  depredations  upon  a 
large  scale,  yet  there  was  one  young  tender  root 
of  this  terrible  scourge  left,  wThich  here  in  the 
desert  grew  and  flourished  and  finally  engaged 
in  business  on  his  own  account  and  single- 
handed  for  several  years  committed  depreda- 
tions that  for  boldness  made  Geronimo  appear 
an  amateur. 

Over  on  the  Apache  reservation  was,  amongst 
others,  a  young  Apache  buck,  whose  life  so 
far  had  been  unattended  by  any  misdemeanors, 


EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  365 

or  acts  of  violence,  and  who  was  generally  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  trustworthy  of  his  race. 
The  time  came  when,  in  a  trouble  which  arose, 
and  in  which  a  killing  occurred,  this  young 
Indian  played  a  part  (justifiable  or  otherwise), 
was  arrested,  tried  and  convicted  with  others, 
and  sentenced  to  a  term  of  imprisonment  at  the 
penitentiary  in  Yuma.  He  grieved  deeply  over 
the  result,  but  showed  no  resentment  when  they 
all  started  for  their  new  home  in  a  stage  coach 
attended  by  two  officers  heavily  armed. 

Beaching  a  long,  steep  hill  en  route,  the 
officers  alighted  to  walk  behind  the  coach,  and 
this  young  Indian  asked  the  privilege  also,  when 
the  officers,  removing  the  shackles  from  his 
ankles  (but  remaining  handcuffed),  permitted 
him  to  do  so. 

Walking  between  the  officers,  he  after  a  time 
dropped  slightly  in  the  rear,  made  a  quick  jump, 
grabbed  a  six  shooter  from  the  hip  of  one  of 
the  officers,  shot  them  both  dead,  then  took  a 
long  shot  at  the  driver  of  the  stage  coach  some 
distance  ahead,  and  hitting  him  in  the  head  the 
ball  glanced,  but  being  stunned,  he  fell  from  his 
seat,  while  the  four-mule  team  ran  away  with 
the  balance  of  the  convicts. 

Approaching  the  fallen  driver,  (who  had 
now  regained  consciousness,  but  who  adroitly 
concealed  it)  the  Indian  examined  him  care- 
fully, when  becoming  convinced  that  he  was 
dead,  and  not  wishing  to  waste  ammunition, 
passed  on,  and  out  upon  the  boldest  and  most 


366  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

successful  career  of  crime  ever  engaged  in  by 
human  kind,  and  became  known  to  the  world 
thereafter  as  the  "Apache  kid." 

Bordering  the  Eio  San  Pedro  on  the  north- 
east for  a  distance  of  more  than  fifty  miles  lies 
a  mountain  chain  known  as  the  Caliuro  range, 
which,  for  ruggedness  and  inaccessibility,  is  un- 
surpassed. 

And  here  in  its  most  remote  fastnesses  the 
"Apache  kid"  established  himself,  and  alone, 
bid  defiance  to  the  world,  and  through  a  con- 
tinuous carnival  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes, 
executed  by  himself  alone,  existed  for  years, 
though  the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona offered  a  combined  reward  of  nine  thou- 
sand dollars  for  him  dead  or  alive;  while  the 
government  troops  hunted  him  almost  contin- 
uously, and,  fearful  of  finding  him,  each  time 
conveniently  lost  the  trail  when  it  led  them  too 
far  into  the  rocky  defiles  of  the  Caliuros.  The 
"cow  punchers"  on  the  San  Pedro  for  years 
wisely  refrained  from  the  attempt  to  "round 
up"  cattle  that  had  entered  the  range.  His 
deeds  were  so  bold,  and  his  movements  so  adroit 
and  invisible  that,  although  the  members  of  his 
own  tribe  feared  him  equally  with  the  whites, 
they  refused  to  engage  in  hunting  him,  believ- 
ing him  to  be  possessed  of  uncanny  powers, 
and  incapable  of  being  harmed. 

Although  the  "kid"  had,  during  his  entire 
reign,  so  far  scrupulously  avoided  contact  with 
any  human  being,  save  when  engaged  in  lifting 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  367 

their  scalp  lock,  the  time  finally  came  when  the 
idea  gained  possession  of  his  mind  that  it  was 
no  longer  well  for  him  to  dwell  alone,  and  so 
one  day,  impelled  by  the  desperation  of  loneli- 
ness and  love,  he  rode  boldly  down  from  his 
mountain  lair  and  out  upon  the  reservation,  and 
lying  in  wait  well  outside  the  encampments,  a 
lone  Apache  maiden,  strolling  aimlessly  about 
and  unconsciously  coming  near  his  hiding,  the 
"kid"  swooping  down  upon  his  prey,  threw  a 
rope  about  her,  and  pulling  her  upon  the  ani- 
mal's back  with  himself,  dashed  back  into  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Caliuros. 

It  was  but  a  short  time  following  this  bold 
proceeding  when  "Hualapai"  Clark,  an  old 
scout  and  Indian  fighter,  and  incidentally  a 
prospector,  having  a  mining  claim  near  the  foot 
of  the  western  slope  of  the  range,  determined 
to  take  chances  with,  the  "kid"  for  a  few  days 
and  go  up  and  perform  the  annual  labor  neces- 
sary to  hold  his  property.  Reaching  there,  his 
experienced  eye  was  not  long  in  detecting  in  and 
about  the  cabin  unmistakable  signs  of  the  daring 
young  red  man,  and  Hualapai  farther  realizing 
that  his  arrival  had  not  been  accomplished  un- 
noticed by  the  wily  "kid"  and  not  unmindful  of 
the  "kid's  love  of  horse  flesh,  picketed  the  pack 
animal  in  a  remote  and  open  spot,  and  filling 
the  magazine  of  his  Winchester  with  cartridges, 
crept  into  a  neighboring  thicket  and  camped  for 
the  night.  Long  and  anxiously  he  waited,  when 
at  last  his  vigil  was  rewarded  by  a  slight  move- 

24 


368  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

ment  of  the  underbrush  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  opening,  and  a  form  emerged  from  the 
darkness  of  the  thicket  and  stole  cautiously 
toward  the  animal.  Hualapai  raised  his  rifle 
to  fire,  when  silently  another  form  stole  forth 
following  the  first.  A  sharp  crack  of  the  Win- 
chester, and  the  leader,  with  a  piercing  scream, 
fell  dead.  Not  yet  had  the  body  struck  the 
ground,  when  the  flash  of  a  second  rifle  in  the 
hands  of  the  one  that  followed,  for  an  instant 
lit  up  the  scene,  and  a  ball  sped  dangerously 
close  to  Hualapai  in  his  hiding,  while  as  sud- 
denly the  form  disappeared  in  the  depths  of  the 
shelter  from  which  it  had  emerged. 

When  the  morning  light  dawned  upon  the 
scene  of  these  midnight  doings,  there,  clutching 
in  a  death  grasp  the  picket  rope  of  the  pack 
animal,  lay  the  "kid's"  unwilling  and  now  eman- 
cipated bride,  whom  her  foxy  mate  had  sent 
before  him  to  draw  the  fire  of  the  watchful 
Hualapai. 

But  a  few  days  had  elapsed  since  this  event- 
ful night  when  the  writer,  wandering  late  in  the 
day  along  the  San  Pedro,  sought  lodging  at  the 
home  of  a  settler  not  far  removed  from  the  scene 
described,  and  retiring  to  the  guest's  chamber, 
found  therein  artistically  draped,  as  a  mural 
decoration,  the  blood-stained  and  bullet-rent 
robe  of  the  dusky  departed  denizen  of  the 
Caliuros. 

Alone  in  the  anger  and  possible  grief  of  his 
loss,  the  "kid"  now  so  increased  the  boldnesss  of 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  369 

his  depredations  as  to  for  the  time  completely 
dull  the  luster  of  his  previous  record.  Then 
suddenly,  and  forever  since,  his  footprints 
ceased  to  mark  the  sands  of  the  San  Pedro, 
while  the  grim  and  silent  Caliuros  that  sheltered 
him  so  long  breathe  evermore  no  tale  of  his 
mysterious  disappearance. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

From  the  Little  Colorado  river,  and  even  far- 
ther north  into  Utah,  all  through  the  great  des- 
ert area  of  Arizona  and  well  into  Mexico  on  the 
south,  exists  a  copper  resource  which  will  in 
time  be  demonstrated  (if  not  already)  to  be 
the  greatest  in  the  known  world.  That  portion  in 
the  United  States,  beginning  at  the  Colorado 
river  on  the  west,  and  extending  easterly  well 
over  the  line  into  New  Mexico,  embraces  evi- 
dences of  the  general  distribution  of  the  ores  of 
this  metal  which,  coupled  with  the  already  dem- 
onstrated occurrences  of  commercial  value, 
leave  no  question  of  its  coming  importance, 
and  probable  dominance  for  all  time  of  any 
other  like  area  in  the  production  of  copper. 

High  upon  the  face  of  the  Black  range  that 
borders  the  Rio  Verde  on  the  west  rests  the 
busy  town  of  Jerome,  built  about  and  existing 
wholly  through  the  operations  of  that  greatest 
of  all  copper  mines,  the  "United  Verde,"  which, 
with  the  constant  outpouring  of  smoke  and  sul- 
phurous fumes  from  the  stacks  of  its  great  re- 
duction works,  together  with  that  of  the  acres 
of  open  air  roasts  with  which  the  face  of  the 
mountain  is  clothed,  gives  to  the  traveler  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  Verde,  far  below,  the  im- 
pression that  the  plutonic  agencies  are  again  at 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  371 

work  away  up  there  near  the  summit  of  the  dark, 
forbidding  igneous  uplift,  and  he  shudders 
slightly  at  the  thought,  as  the  little  narrow 
gauge  train  appears  rounding  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  range,  and  creeping  slowly  along 
its  precipitous  face,  deliberately  enters  and  is 
swallowed  up  in  the  seeming  caldron  of  fire, 
smoke  and  brimstone. 

The  ores  of  this  great  mine  are  in  sulphide, 
or  unchanged  form,  and  of  high  grade.  The  oc- 
currence is  in  outline  a  great  lenticular  mass 
set  upon  edge,  and  already  being  operated  sev- 
eral thousand  feet  in  length  and  five  hundred 
and  more  feet  in  depth.  In  the  ground  already 
opened,  there  is  at  all  times  in  sight,  not  less 
than  a  hundred  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  ore, 
while  the  amount  already  extracted  and  treated 
is  far  greater  than  this.  And  now  to  more 
fully  impress  the  reader  with  the  magnitude 
and  wealth  of  this  storehouse  of  copper,  it  may 
be  stated  that  from  the  bottom  of  the  present 
workings,  borings  have  been  made  with  Dia- 
mond drills  of  such  depth  and  over  so  great 
areas  as  to  determine  fully  the  existence  in 
unopened  ground  of  an  ore  body  whose  value, 
conservatively  estimated,  reaches  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  half  a  billion  of  dollars. 

When  the  reader  reflects  upon  the  fact  that 
more  than  ninety  per  cent,  of  this  great  mine 
is  the  property  of  a  single  individual,  there  re- 
mains little  occasion  for  alarm  over  his  inability 
to  secure  the  necessaries  of  life  until  such  time 


372  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

at  least,  as  he  can  secure  more  remunerative 
employment. 

A  hundred  miles  and  more  southeast  of  the 
United  Verde,  and  at  Globe,  on  a  fork  of  Salt 
river,  occurs  other  great  producing  properties, 
also  at  Clifton  and  Morenci,  on  the  headwaters 
of  the  Gila.  But  by  far  greater  than  these  is 
that  of  the  "Copper  Queen"  company  at  Bisbee, 
in  the  southern  terminus  of  the  "Mule"  moun- 
tains and  near  the  Mexico  border.  Here  where 
for  miles  the  line  of  demarkation  between  a 
great  field  of  gray  lime  and  an  equally  great 
field  of  decidedly  red  porphyretic  rocks  is  so 
sharp  and  clearly  defined  that  a  comparatively 
short-legged  man,  walking  with  the  feet  well 
apart,  may  travel  almost  the  entire  length  of  the 
contact  with  an  individual  formation  for  each 
foot  to  rest  upon,  and  the  whole  through  the  con- 
tact of  separate  and  distinct  coloring  noted  for 
many  miles  before  reaching  it.  There  occurred, 
here  upon  the  slopes  of  a  dry  arroya,  in  the  field 
of  lime,  yet  near  the  line  of  contact  of  the  two 
formations  referred  to,  a  "blow-out"  of  carbon- 
ate of  copper  ores,  the  vivid  blues  and  greens  of 
which  subdued  the  colors  of  the  surrounding 
formations  and  caught  the  eye  of  thejobserver 
from  afar.  It  was  a  small  exposure  of  less  than 
a  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  but  which,  followed 
down  into  the  limes,  opened  into  a  great  chamber 
of  fine  ore,  but  which,  soon  exhausted,  left  no 
evidence,  save  little  seams,  at  times  no  thicker 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  373 

.than  the  blade  of  a  knife,  extending  into  the 
naked  walls  of  lime.  The  owners  were  about 
to  withdraw  from  further  operation  when  a 
trusted  employee  in  charge  of  the  work,  appealed 
so  strongly  to  be  allowed  to  explore  the  sur- 
roundings, offering  to  receive  his  pay  in  sjtock 
of  the  now  exhausted  property,  and  farther,  to 
contribute  from  his  own  savings  toward  the  un- 
dertaking, he  was,  through  a  desire  'to  humor 
him,  permitted  to  continue.  Following  one  of 
the  little  stringers,  he  soon  plunged  into  a  second 
chamber;  and  thus  the  system  of  exploration 
has  continued  and  chamber  after  chamber  been 
disclosed  covering  hundreds  of  acres  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  lime  down  deep  in  which,  connecting 
the  multitude  of  ore  bodies  and  their  intricate 
workings,  (wherein  two  thousand  or  more  men 
are  working)  exists  a  hundred  miles  or  more 
of  underground  railway  for  gathering  the  ore 
and  transporting  it  to  the  great  hoists  for  de- 
livery to  the  surface  and  into  the  furnaces  await- 
ing it ;  more  than  enough  miles  of  railway  in  this 
one  mine  five  hundred  feet  and  more  beneath  the 
surface,  to  reach  from  !N"ew  York  to  Philadel- 
phia, while  hundreds  of  miles  of  standard-guage 
railway  owned  by,  or  constructed  wholly  in  con- 
sequence of  the  production  of  this  great  mine, 
together  with  others  owned  by  the  same  company 
at  Nacozari,  a  short  distance  over  the  line  in 
Mexico,  and  which  reach  to  junctions  with  the 
Southern  Pacific  at  El  Paso,  Texas,  and  Benson, 
Arizona,  and  again  to  junctions  with  both  the 


374  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Southern  Pacific  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe  railways  at  Deining  in  New  Mexico, 
find  ample  traffic. 

The  ores  of  the  Copper  Queen  are  almost 
wholly  in  carbonate  form,  and  though  being  of  a 
far  lower  grade  than  those  of  the  United  Verde, 
averaging,  as  they  do,  less  than  eight  per  cent, 
of  metallic  copper  per  ton  of  crude  ore,  still 
possess  upon  an  average,  double  the  values  of  the 
ores  at  Butte,  Montana,  and  four  times  those 
of  Michigan  and  the  famous  Rio  Tinto  in  Spain, 
though  the  values  are  far  more  expensive  of 
extraction  than  in  the  case  of  the  two  latter. 

A  feature  of  copper  ores  is  their  occurrence 
in  nearly  every  known  formation  of  the  earth, 
and  (as  a  rule)  to  greater  depths  than 
those  of  precious  metals.  In  the  great  cop- 
per mines  of  the  United  States,  silver,  and 
frequently  gold,  occurs  in  the  upper  zone  of 
the  ore  bodies,  usually,  however,  disappear- 
ing at  about  five  hundred  feet  in  depth. 
More  especially  since  the  days  of  the  conquest 
by  Cortez,  the  Mexicans  have  to  some  consid- 
erable extent  employed  copper ;  and  wherein  the 
metal  abounds  in  almost  unlimited  quantities 
within  the  present  borders  of  their  own  land,  it 
occurred  with  the  exception  of  an  extremely 
small  percentage,  locked  in  the  embrace  of  varied 
combines  with  other  elements  forming  as  a  whole 
an  ore  mass  containing  a  comparatively  small 
proportion  of  metallic  copper,  and  that  through 
the  then  known  methods  difficult  to  obtain.  The 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  375 

extremely  small  percentage  referred  to  of  oc- 
currences other  than  this  being  that  of  native 
copper  or  the  extremely  high  grade  ores,  such 
as  chalcocite  and  cuprite,  all  of  which  occur 
everywhere  in  extremely  limited  quantities, 
these  early  searchers  after  the  metal  were  com- 
pelled to  cover  great  areas  in  obtaining  the  re- 
quired amount  and  thus  extended  their  opera- 
tions into  what  is  now  Arizona  and  New  Mex- 
ico, where  to-day  may  be  seen  and  entered  a 
labyrinth  of  old  workings  at  various  points,  to- 
gether with  the  impregnable  quarters  for  pro- 
tection which  hundreds  of  years  since  they 
erected,  usually  circular  in  form,  and  of  either 
adobe  or  stone;  for  the  Apache  exercised  then 
the  same  guardianship  and  administered  the 
same  punishment  as  since.  At  the  aAja"  copper 
mine,  fifty  miles  south  of  Gila  bend  on  the 
Southern  Pacific  railway,  and  in  Santa  Rita 
basin,  twelve  miles  from  the  present  town  of 
Silver  City,  in  New  Mexico,  yet  remain  notable 
examples  of  these  ancient  workings. 

Long  antecedent  to  the  advent  of  the  Mex- 
icans in  these  lands  which  are  now  a  portion  of 
the  United  States,  there  here  lived  and  dwelt 
another  race  of  beings.  A  race  other  than  that 
of  the  North  American  Indians,  and  agricul- 
tural in  their  pursuits,  as  determined  through 
the  many  evidences  which  remain. 

Through  all  that  great  area  extending  from 
the  southern  portion  of  Colorado  on  the  north, 


376  BEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

far  away  to  the  east  and  west  throughout  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  well  down  the  shores 
of  the  Colorado  to  its  mouth,  are  scattered  the 
bones  of  these  people,  together  with  the  ruins 
of  their  work.  There  were,  in  fact,  two  races 
occupying  the  same  territory,  but  whether  or 
not  contemporaneous  is  uncertain.  The  one  is 
known  as  Aztec,  the  other  as  "Cliff  Dwellers." 
Their  habits  seem  to  have  been  in  common,  aside 
from  the  habitations  in  which  they  lodged.  The 
Aztecs  dwrelt  in  structures  of  stone  and  adobe 
scattered  throughout  the  valleys,  while  the  Cliff 
Dwellers,  (who  incidentally  were  somewhat  in- 
ferior in  stature)  made  their  dwelling  places  in 
the  shallow  caverns,  or  eroded  recesses,  high 
upon  the  face  of  the  sandstone  cliffs  of  nearby 
canons.  The  front  of  these  caverns  were  closed 
with  a  masonry  wall,  and  access  was  obtained 
only  through  ladders  which,  upon  entering  their 
abode,  they  pulled  up  after  them.  They  evi- 
dently feared  an  enemy  unknown  to  the  Aztec 
of  the  valley,  but  whether  such  was  the  Aztecs 
themselves  or  another  is  unknown. 

In  pursuance  of  professional  duties  other 
than  that  of  archaeology,  the  writer  has 
spent  much  time  in  various  districts  scat- 
tered over  the  great  area  mentioned  and 
abounding  with  the  evidences  of  this  long- 
forgotten  race.  Thickly  studding  large  areas 
are  to  be  seen  mounds  of  various  sizes  over- 
grown with  sage  and  other  vegetation,  and 
ofttimes  shaded  by  gnarled  and  knotted  pinon 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  377 

trees  of  so  great  an  age  as  to  now  be  in  process 
of  decay ;  the  life  of  these  alone  being  known  to 
be  hundreds  of  years,  marks  to  this  extent  the 
antiquity  of  the  mound  itself.  And  wrhat  are 
these  strange  hummocks  rising  with  such  regu- 
larity from  an  otherwise  smooth  surface?  A 
little  open  cut  extended  into  its  interior  from 
the  level  of  its  surroundings,  discloses  in  every 
case  the  foundations  of  an  abode.  Drifting 
around  the  outer  edge  of  these,  the  doorway  will 
be  found  inside  of  which  (in  the  more  preten- 
tious) will  be  unearthed  partition  walls  while  in 
all  will  be  found  a  greater  or  less  amount  of 
pottery;  mostly  broken,  of  course,  through  the 
falling  in  of  the  ruins. 

If,  however,  one  wishes  to  secure  specimens 
of  this  intact,  (much  of  which  is  quite  desirable) 
it  may,  with  far  greater  chances  of  success  be 
accomplished  by  trenching  the  surface  at  a  point 
about  fifty  feet  due  south  of  the  mound;  for 
it  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  for  each  fam- 
ily to  have  its  private  cemetery  at  this  point, 
and  a  further  custom  in  burying  their  dead  to 
place  on  either  side  of  the  head  an  urn  or  other 
piece  of  pottery  closely  sealed,  (apparently  the 
choicest  the  family  possessed)  and  containing 
food.  And  therein,  in  recent  years,  the  writer, 
in  pursuance  of  such  research,  or  possibly  what 
might  more  properly  be  termed  vandalism,  has 
found  the  bones  of  turkeys,  together  with  the 
kernels  of  maize,  parched  and  apparently  in 


378  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

as  perfect  state  of  preservation  as  upon  the 
funeral  day. 

In  the  Montezuma  valley,  near  the  northern 
boundary  of  Arizona,  the  exploration  of  one  of 
these  mounds  discloses  the  walls  of  a  building 
eighty  feet  square,  its  interior  being  divided 
by  masonry  walls  into  rectangular,  circular  and 
triangular  rooms,  while  the  loftiness  of  the 
mound  would  indicate  that  the  building  must 
originally  have  been  a  hundred  feet  or  more  in 
height. 

In  the  Aztec  valley  immediately  south  of  the 
Montezuma,  a  settler  in  search  of  water  through 
sinking,  noticed,  at  a  point  near,  a  series  of 
shallow  depressions  strikingly  circular  in  form, 
and  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  Having 
so  far  been  unsuccessful,  and  thinking  that  per- 
haps these  might  mark  the  location  of  water 
supplies  of  the  extinct  race,  he  selected  one  and 
began  digging,  when  at  a  depth  of  about  fifteen 
feet  he  suddenly  encountered  a  mass  of  human 
skeletons  entangled  in  the  most  disorderly  man- 
ner, and  at  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit  the 
depth  of  the  deposit  was  undetermined,  though  a 
score  or  more  had  been  removed.  A  greater 
portion  of  the  skulls  were  so  badly  fractured 
as  to  be  incapable  of  restoration,  yet  of  eight 
recovered  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation,  each 
was  crushed  at  a  point  just  behind  and  slightly 
above  the  right  ear,  and  covering  an  area  ranging 
from  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar  to  the  palm  of 
one's  hand.  Evidently  these  beings  were  exe- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  379 

cuted  either  for  crimes,  or  as  offerings  to  their 
gods;  though  this  was  not  the  method  of  the 
Aztecs  of  the  valley  of  Mexico,  of  which  there 
is  written  history,  their  method  being  that  of 
holding  the  victim  upon  the  sacrificial  stone 
while  the  priest,  with  an  obsidian  knife,  cut 
open  the  breast,  and  tearing  out  the  palpitating 
heart,  held  it  up  to  the  image  of  the  god  to  be 
appeased. 

In  various  parts  of  the  lands  where  the  ruins 
of  this  race  exist  are  still  traceable,  long  lines  of 
dim  grades  which  were  evidently  at  one  time 
canals  for  the  irrigation  of  lands.  These  lines  are 
as  artfully  located  and  the  grades  as  accurately 
established  as  in  the  modern  canal  of  to-day, 
occupying  the  same  territory,  and  constructed 
for  the  same  purposes.  In  fact,  instances  exist 
wherein  the  modern  canal  follows  the  site  of 
the  ancient  waterway  for  considerable  distances. 

Though  unmistakably  'agricultural,  little  evi- 
dence is  presented  of  their  being  pastoral;  no 
bones  of  domestic  animals  save  turkey  bones 
are  to  be  found  even  in  the  provision  jars  which 
invariably  accompany  the  dead,  while  there  is 
little  cause  for  belief  that  these  were  domestic 
birds,  from  the  fact  that  great  portions  of  the 
land  abounded  with  wild  turkeys  until  recent 
years,  while  many  are  yet  to  be  found. 

About  the  more  thickly  settled  portions,  the 
soil  is  yet  strewn  with  fragments  of  their  pot- 
tery, in  the  decoration  of  which  the  writer  has, 
in  several  instances,  detected  the  perfect  Egyp- 


380  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

tian  border.  Can  it  be  that  this  lost  race  were 
once  in  connection  with  those  people,  from  whom 
they  were  forever  exiled,  possibly  through  the 
submerged  Atlantis?  However,  there  remains 
excellent  reasons  for  belief  that  their  existence 
is  possessed  of  far  greater  antiquity  than  is 
given  credit  for  by  the  few  historians  and  still 
fewer  archaeologists  who  have  discussed  the 
subject.  The  Aztecs  of  the  valley  of  Mexico  at 
the  time  of  the  appearance  of  Cortez  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  existence  of  these  so-called  Aztecs  to 
the  north.  And  when  later  bands  of  these  in- 
vaders, believing  that  other  great  cities  with 
temples  filled  with  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
stones,  like  unto  which  they  had  just  conquered 
and  despoiled,  existed  far  away  in  this  north- 
land,  and  made  invasions  herein,  they  found 
only  these  same  ruins,  as  ancient  to  all  appear- 
ance then  as  now. 

Again  amongst  these  dead  and  their  ruins 
exist  ample  evidence  of  their  taste  for  personal 
adornment.  Necklaces,  rings  and  other  decora- 
tive articles,  made  from  bone,  chalcedony  and 
other  substances  are  found  in  profusion,  but 
none  of  gold  and  silver,  and  yet  they  dwelt  in 
the  very  heart  of  regions  abounding  with  the 
precious  metals  of  which  they  seemed  to  possess 
no  knowledge  whatever. 

Wherein  it  appears  from  the  habits  and  pot- 
tery of  each,  and  aside  from  the  fashioning  of 
their  abodes,  and  from  the  difference  in  stature, 
that  the  Aztecs  and  Cliff  Dwellers  were  of  the 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  381 

same  race,  yet  there  is  much  in  evidence  that 
they  were  not  contemporaneous,  though  little 
whereby  to  determine  with  any  degree  of  ac- 
curacy the  intervening  interval;  the  more  ad- 
vanced destruction  of  the  works  of  the  so-called 
Aztec  of  the  valleys  through  natural  disinte- 
gration and  decay  points  unmistakably  to  their 
occupancy  of  the  country  having  antedated  by 
many  generations,  and  centuries  perhaps,  that 
of  the  Cliff  Dwellers.  Again  no  remains  of  the 
former  are  found  except  in  a  state  of  systematic 
burial,  while  in  the  case  of  the  latter,  their  skel- 
etons and  mummified  forms  are  found  strewn 
upon  the  floors  of  the  dwellings  they  occupied, 
pointing  significantly  to  the  fact  of  their  having 
been  overtaken  and  overwhelmed  by  some  cat- 
aclysm from  which  they  were  unable  to  escape. 
And  what  this  terrible  entrapment  from 
which  they  were  unable  to  extricate  themselves 
and  flee?  Far  away  up  a  rugged  canon,  and 
high  up  in  the  sedimentary  cliffs  that  formed 
its  southern  walls,  appears  the  masonry  front 
that  closes  the  mouth  of  a  great  recess  and  forms 
a  home  as  yet  undisturbed  by  vandals ;  this  arti- 
ficial front  is  so  neatly  constructed  and  the 
storms  and  stains  of  centuries  have  so  artfully 
spread  the  mantle  o'er  it  that  marks  the  handi- 
work of  nature,  that  the  observer  looks  long  and 
questions  much  its  being  a  home  of  this  ancient 
race ;  moreover,  the  glass  fails  to  detect  any  evi- 
dence of  the  low,  narrow  opening  or  entrance 
through  which  they  crawled,  but  which,  after 


382  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

nearer  approach,  through  toilsome  and  hazardous 
climbing,  reveals  itself,  closed  and  sealed  from 
within.  The  work  in  no  manner  provided,  or 
was  it  evidently  intended  to  provide  protection 
to  the  inmates  against  a  forceful  foe  from  with- 
out, for  a  slight  pressure  of  the  shoulder,  and 
the  mass  falls  inward  upon  the  floor.  Entering, 
we  find  strewn  about  the  apartments,  nine  mum- 
mified forms  lying  upon  their  faces,  the  arms 
folded  closely  about  the  head,  as  though  to  shut 
out  some  horrifying  vision,  or  exclude  some 
deadly  gas;  and  in  defense  against  the  latter 
there  is  little  question  but  that  these  efforts  were 
made ;  for  round  about  the  country  below  exists 
successive  sheets  of  eruptive  flows,  long  hard- 
ened into  rock,  entrapped  and  submerged  by  the 
last  of  which  we  find  varied  examples  of  the 
works  of  these  people,  here  a  stone  axe  of 
paleolithic  pattern,  there  a  fragment  of  pottery, 
and  finally  the  perfect  moulds  of  a  mass  of  ears 
of  Indian  corn,  which  engulfed  in  the  molten 
mass  were  finally  consumed,  leaving  only  the 
cavity  they  occupied,  upon  the  walls  of  which  are 
faithfully  preserved  their  minutest  imprint; 
moreover,  in  some  instances  the  charred  kernels 
still  adhere  to  the  surrounding  surfaces.  And 
thus  (our  geological  conclusions  being  anywhere 
within  the  very  outer  limits  of  approximate  ac- 
curacy) we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  fact 
that  these  beings  here  dwelt  and  finally  became 
extinct,  through  an  agency  that  presented  itself 
long,  long  before  even  the  first  of  the  great  ice 


BEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  383 

caps  crept  down  from  the  north,  or  the  waters 
of  their  melting  created  the  terraces  called 
"Champlain."  Hence,  might  they  say  unto  the 
earliest  of  the  Egyptians  of  which  there  appears 
even  the  vaguest  tradition,  even  as  these  Egyp- 
tians said  unto  the  early  Greeks,  "Ye  are  but 
children  and  know  nothing  of  the  past." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

To  one  who  has  traveled  long  through  Texas 
and  the  southern  portions  of  New  Mexico,  Ar- 
izona and  California,  there  comes  finally  a  de- 
sire to  wander  over  the  border  and  far  away  into 
that  sunlit  land  to  the  south — Mexico.  A  land 
luxuriant  in  its  fruits  and  vegetation,  grand  in 
the  noble  forests  that  clothe  its  imposing  moun- 
tain chains,  and  in  its  towering  stately  palms 
that  adorn  the  intervening  vales,  far  beyond  be- 
lief in  the  mind  of  the  observer  who  first  gazes 
upon  that  forbidding  and  seemingly  limitless 
expanse,  which,  prevailing  over  so  great  an  area 
in  the  United  States,  stretches  far  over  into  this 
adjacent  realm.  A  land  wherein  existed  treas- 
ure and  works  of  art,  filling  palaces  and  temples 
without  number,  of  matchless  magnificence  and 
grand  architecture,  of  themselves  ancient,  yet 
their  foundations  resting  upon  the  ruins  of  oth- 
ers equally  great,  of  which  no  history  recites  the 
tale  or  even  vague  tradition  murmurs. 

For  the  authentic  historv  of  these  people 
dates  back  no  further  than  about  six  hundred 
years  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  when  the  Toltecs 
made  their  appearance  in  the  valley  of  Mexico ; 
not  entirely  as  strangers,  for  evidence  goes  to 
show  that  they  were  simply  returning  home 
from  a  pilgrimage  into  the  far  North,  where 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  385 

they  were  for  so  many  centuries  engaged  in 
building  mounds  in  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio,  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  rivers  that  upon  their  re- 
turn only  the  ruins  of  their  earlier  work  re- 
mained. Selecting  probably  the  first  they  came 
to  of  these  ruined  cities  of  their  ancestors  (for 
there  were  many  more  of  theirs  or  others  far- 
ther to  the  south),  they  restored  it,  or  built  a 
new  one  upon  its  ruins  and  named  it  "Tula," 
now  a  station  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railway, 
a  short  distance  north  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and 
still  bearing  its  original  name;  and  here  to-day 
may  be  seen  the  ruins  of  both  the  restoration  and 
the  original.  This  is  but  an  in>stance  of  the 
antiquity  of  this  race  possessing  a  high  civil- 
ization so  far  as  measured  through  works  of 
art  and  the  construction  of  great  temples  and 
palaces,  massive  and  indestructible,  grand,  im- 
pressive and  beautiful  in  architectural  lines, 
and  striking  in  the  elaborate  and  ornate  sculp- 
turing of  their  walls. 

Even  in  the  valley  of  Mexico,  of  which  the 
earliest  history  treats,  there  are  numerous  ruins 
believed  to  be  far  older  than  those  of  Tula; 
amongst  which  there  are  many  pyramids;  of 
these  there  are  two,  that  of  the  moon  and  an- 
other of  the  sun,  which  are  of  enormous  propor- 
tions. The  latter  measures  over  seven  hundred 
feet  square  at  its  base,  and  over  two  hundred 
feet  in  height.  Another,  the  pyramid  of  Cho- 
lula,  is  nearly  1,500  feet  square  at  its  base,  and 


386  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

covers  more  than  forty  acres,  much  larger  than 
any  of  those  of  Egypt. 

For  over  four  hundred  years  this  race  of  Tol- 
tec  mound  builders,  returning  from  the  North, 
remained  in  the  valley,  when,  migrating,  it  is 
believed  to  the  South,  their  general  disappear- 
ance being  in  time  noted  by  a  neighboring  race, 
the  Chichimecs  (vastly  inferior  to  the  Toltecs 
in  point  of  civilization),  they  crept  cautiously 
into  the  vacant  valley,  then  called  "Anahuac" 
by  these  early  people,  meaning  "by  the  water 
side,"  from  the  chain  of  lakes  occupying  the 
valley,  and  about  whose  shores  they  largely 
dwelt.  These  were  soon  followed  by  other 
tribes,  the  last  and  most  formidable  of  which 
were  called  "Aztecs,"  and  came  from  a  land 
called  Aztlan,  wherever  that  may  have  been, 
said,  however,  to  have  been  located  far  to  the 
north  or  northwest  Tradition  further  says 
that  even  this  indefinite  location  was  not  the 
land  of  their  origin,  and  that  the  earliest  home 
of  the  race  was  far 'to  the  south,  about  Yucatan 
or  Guatemala,  and  that  like  the  Toltecs,  they 
wandered  to  this  foreign  abode,  where  they  dwelt 
for  ages,  and  like  them,  were  now  simply  return- 
ing toward  the  land  of  their  nativity.  At  all 
events,  they  proceeded  no  farther,  but  settling 
here,  they  rapidly  absorbed  and  grew  into  a 
dominance  of  all  those  tribes  which  had  preceded 
them,  and  multiplied  and  grew  strong  and  more 
civilized,  aside  from  the  creation  en  route  of  a 
wood  or  stone  image  of  a  war  god  called  Huit- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  387 

zilopoehtle,  from  the  leader  of  their  band  Huitr 
ziton,  who  had  died  on  the  journey.  And  to 
which  image  in  time  to  come  there  was  in  all 
probability  offered  up  as  sacrifice,  more  human 
lives  than  to  any  other  on  earth. 

And  here  in  this  valley  of  Anahuac  at  the 
end  of  300  years  or  thereabouts,  this  race  of  Az- 
tecs (who  upon  their  journey  hither  had  named 
themselves  "Mexicans")  had  thrived  and  grown 
strong  and  became  the  dominant  power  amongst 
the  numerous  small  tribes  with  which  they  inter- 
mingled, and  who  had  preceded  them  by  a  hun- 
dred years. 

In  the  search  for  a  camping  spot  as  described 
through  the  oracle  of  their  war  god,  they  came  to 
a  rocky  point  extending  into  the  lake,  where, 
perched  upon  a  cactus,  with  its  wings  out- 
stretched toward  the  rising  sun,  holding  in  its 
beak  a  serpent,  sat  an  eagle  of  great  size,  the 
emblem  of  the  present  flag  of  Mexico.  This 
was  at  once  accepted  as  an  omen  of  good,  indi- 
cating a  site  for  their  city,  which  was  immedi- 
ately founded  and  named  Tenochtitlan,  the  name 
being  later  changed  to  Mexico,  and  here  by  the 
greatest  of  lakes,  "Texcoco,"  and  upon  the  site 
of  the  present  City  of  Mexico,  had  created  a 
city  even  greater  in  many  respects  than  the  pres- 
ent one,  and  therein,  and  throughout  the  coun- 
try occupied  by  them  there  seems  to  have  later 
been  attained  a  high  moral  standard,  a  rapid  ad- 
vancement and  a  generally  peaceful,  happy  con- 
dition, aside  from  the  frequent  wars  waged  upon 


388  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

neighboring  tribes  who  jet  maintained  a  sepa- 
rate government,  incited  in  each  case  almost 
wholly  through  the  demands  of  a  religious  rite, 
in  the  practice  of  which  these  people  grew  into 
a  greater  and  greater  belief,  into  a  deeper  and 
deeper  fanaticism  through  the  teachings  and 
blind  following  of  a  brutal,  beastly  priesthood. 
And  herein  alone  in  the  lives  of  these  people 
seems  to  have  existed  the  one  condition,  if  any, 
which  in  the  slightest  degree  may  be  employed 
to  warrant  or  excuse  the  subjugation,  with  its 
attendant  infamous  outrages,  so  .soon  to  be  vis- 
ited upon  them.  For  this  god  of  theirs,  "Huit- 
zilopochtle,"  whose  creation  and  acceptance  oc- 
curred during  their  journey  from  Aztlan,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  healthy  offspring,  and  in 
the  300  years  which  followed,  to  have  grown 
into  so  insatiable  a  monster  that  its  hunger  for 
human  life  was  difficult  to  appease  through 
those  of  their  own  race  who  in  any  manner  mer- 
ited death ;  hence  war  was  waged  upon  outside 
races  for  the  sole  purpose  of  obtaining  prisoners 
wherewith  to  keep  the  larder  of  this  ravenous 
deity  stocked.  Finally,  and  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  prior  to  the  landing  of 
Columbus,  they  had  fully  completed  and  added 
to  the  noble  structures  of  this  otherwise  beauti- 
ful city  a  great  temple  of  stone,  its  interior 
filled  with  earth  against  which  its  walls  battered, 
the  summit  being  a  great  level  surface  paved 
with  stone  and  surmounted  by  two  towers,  in  one 
of  which  was  placed  this  terrible  god  of  war. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  389 

King  Ahuitzotl,  under  whom  the  temple  was 
completed,  and  who  being  one  of  those  most 
thoroughly  governed  by  the  horrible  priesthood 
and  its  doctrine,  believing  that  the  displeasure 
of  the  gods  could  only  be  averted  and  their  good 
will  maintained  through  the  shedding  of  tor- 
rents of  blood,  had  for  several  years  prior  to  the 
completion  of  the  temple  resolved  to  render  its 
dedication  an  event  long  to  be  remembered,  and 
to  this  end  had  for  a  lengthy  period  cut  short 
the  rations  of  this  god,  and  waged  war  contin- 
uously and  hoarded  his  prisoners  carefully,  that 
an  offering  might  be  made  upon  this  occasion 
that  would  not  only  please  the  god,  but  would 
wipe  out  all  previous  records,  and  incidentally 
impress  other  tribes  (with  which  he  was  at  war, 
and  to  whom  he  took  occasion  to  extend  invita- 
tions) with  his  great  superiority.  The  dedica- 
tion ceremonies  lasted  four  days,  during  which 
time  historians  agree  that  sixty  thousand  human 
beings  were  led  to  the  summit  of  this  temple 
(which  stood  upon  the  exact  spot  where  the  great 
cathedral  of  the  City  of  Mexico  now  stands), 
and  being  cast  upon  their  backs  across  the  sac- 
rificial stone,  a  priest  cut  open  the  breast  with 
an  obsidian  knife,  when  plunging  his  hand  into 
the  wound,  tore  out  and  held  up  to  the  image  of 
this  frightful  god  the  palpitating  heart.  The 
bodies  were  cast  to  the  throng  in  the  great  square 
below,  while  the  blood  flowing  in  torrents  down 
the  sloping  walls  drenched  the  ground  upon 
which  they  stoo/1.  Six  millions  of  people  are 


390  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

said  to  have  been  present  at  this  carnival  of 
blood,  where  the  king  acted  as  master  of  cere- 
monies and  commenced  the  work  with  his  own 
hands.  Throughout  Mexico  to  this  day  the 
people  employ  the  name  Ahuitzotl  as  the  syno- 
nym of  monster. 

Ahuitzotl  was  succeeded  by  the  second  Mon- 
tezuma,  who  differed  widely  from  his  uncle,  the 
great  Montezuma,  and  who  from  the  standpoint 
of  priestly  and  beastly  practices  was  not  far  be- 
hind Ahuitzotl.  It  occurred  to  him  that  the 
sacrificial  stone  then  in  use  was  not  in  keeping 
with  the  new  temple  and  so  sought  a  new  one, 
which  was  found  in  the  form  of  a  great  block 
of  basalt,  and  being  first  hewn  into  circular  form 
and  a  bowl  carved  in  its  center,  with  a  trench 
leading  therefrom  for  the  collection  and  con- 
veyance of  blood,  the  whole  was  then  elaborately 
carved  and  transported  to  its  place  upon  the 
summit  of  the  temple;  at  its  dedication  which 
immediately  followed,  the  blood  of  twelve  thou- 
sand human  wretches  was  spilled  upon  its  face, 
drained  into  the  bowl,  and  flowed  away  through 
the  connecting  gutter.  This  stone  may  to-day 
be  seen  in  the  museum  of  the  City  of  Mexico, 
together  with  the  stone  idol  for  the  revolting 
uses  of  which  it  served.  All  this  portrays  the 
deep,  dark  shadow  of  cruelty  and  repulsiveness 
born  of  the  blind  following  of  a  false  belief 
which  overhung  this  otherwise  advanced  and 
happy  people,  who  in  art  and  science  were  so 
proficient  that  works  of  gold .  and  silver  sent 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  391 

home  to  the  robber  king  of  Spain  by  his  bandits, 
astonished  the  artisans  of  the  old  world  in  their 
elegance  of  design  and  exquisite  workmanship. 
In  architecture  they  were  superb,  while  of  as^- 
tronomy  and  botany  they  knew  much. 

Not  all  of  the  great  monolithic  emblems  of 
this  race  which  to-day  throng  the  gallery  of  the 
museum  of  Mexico  represent  such  lamentable 
customs  as  that  of  the  two  previously  mentioned. 
The  great  calendar  stone  which  confronts  one  as 
he  enters  is  a  great  circular  block  of  basalt, 
elaborately  carved,  and  through  its  design  and 
divisions  clearly  indicates  the  calendar  idea 
and  their  knowledge  of  the  measurement  of 
time.  -f- 

Two  years  before  the  landing  of  Cortez,  run- 
ners had  carried  the  news  to  the  Mexican  capitol 
of  the  landing  of  a  strange  people  from  a  strange 
craft  upon  the  shores  of  Yucatan;  it  was  the 
Spanish  explorer,  Cordova.  The  following  year 
news  was  brought  of  still  another  appearing  in 
the  gulf  near  the  present  city  of  Vera  Cruz; 
this  was  Don  Juan  de  Grijalva.  In  the  year 
following  this  Cortez  appeared  near  the  same 
spot  as  Grijalva,  and  making  a  final  landing 
April  21st,  1519,  burned  his  ships  whereby  to 
thwart  any  attempt  at  return  upon  the  part  of 
his  already  discontented  followers,  and  started 
in  upon  the  most  cruel  and  diabolical  system  of 
robbery,  rapine  and  murder  that  history  gives 
any  account  of  on  the  part  of  a  civilized  race  pro- 
fessing the  Christian  faith. 


392  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

Attacking  the  first  tribe  he  came  in  contact 
with,  he  created  such  slaughter  and  final  terror 
through  the  use  of  fire  arms,  together  with  men 
mounted  on  horses,  all  of  which  they  had  never 
seen  or  heard,  they  soon  not  only  surrendered 
to  avoid  apparent  extinction,  but  readily  became 
their  allies;  after  first  giving  up  to  these  free- 
booters all  their  wealth,  together  with  the 
choice  of  such  of  their  wives  and  daughters  as 
these  fiends  desired,  who  before  prostituting 
these  unfortunate  women  caused  them  to  be  bap- 
tised, and  preached  to  by  an  accompanying  rev- 
erend father,  a  pious  old  scoundrel  named  Bar- 
tolome  Olmedo,  who  told  them  of  all  the  good 
and  beautiful  things  connected  solely  with  the 
holy  faith,  after  which  they  were  parceled  out 
as  mistresses  to  a  beastly  soldiery.  Through 
these  allies  they  now  learned  definitely  of  a 
marvelous  wealth  stored  in  the  Mexican  capitol, 
and  thither  directed  their  march ;  this  evidence 
was  soon  further  corroborated  through  the  acts 
of  the  weak  king,  Montezuma,  then  reigning 
there,  who  being  advised  of  their  approach,  sent 
envoy  after  envoy  to  meet  them,  each  laden  with 
presents  of  gold  and  silver,  which  they  freely 
gave,  at  the  same  time  imploring  them  to  retrace 
their  steps,  and  thus  this  foolish  king  hastened 
the  destruction  designed  for  himself  and  his 
race,  little  realizing  that  he  was  sending  forth  a 
bait  for  which  these  villainous  sharks  would 
stop  at  nothing,  even  the  bartering  of  their  own 
souls.  Step  by  step,  they  drew  nearer  the  ob- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  393 

ject  of  their  avaricious  desire,  stopping  only  to 
pillage  and  murder  by  the  way,  until  finally  en- 
tering the  city  with  their  multitude  of  allies 
(who  were  themselves  deadly  enemies  of  the 
Mexicans)  and  under  professions  of  the  deepest 
friendship,  they  at  once  commenced  intriguing 
for  its  capture.  Soon,  while  being  entertained 
in  the  most  lavish  manner  as  his  guests,  they 
made  the  king  a  captive  and  forced  him  to  ad- 
vise quiet  and  obedience  on  the  part  of  his  sub- 
jects; but  the  treachery  of  the  Spaniards,  to- 
gether with  the  weakness  of  their  sovereign,  had 
created  a  hatred  and  disgust  too  deep  to  bear, 
and  rising  in  arms  they  sought  the  liberation  of 
their  monarch  and  the  death  of  the  intruders. 
Again  Montezuma  was  forced  to  show  himself  to 
his  outraged  subjects  and  advise  them  to  desist. 
Frenzied  at  his  submission  to  such  a  purpose,  his 
nephew,  Guatemotzin,  standing  near,  shot  an 
arrow  into  his  body,  while  others  pelted  the 
dead  body  with  stones  and  clubs.  Thus  ended 
the  great  Montezuma,  who  was  succeeded  by 
Cuitlahuiatzin,  who  dying  in  a  few  months,  was 
succeeded  by  Guatemotzin,  who  in  the  frenzy  of 
his  disgust  had  killed  his  uncle,  Montezuma. 

Cortez  and  his  allies  had  meantime  been 
driven  from  the  city  with  a  slaughter  so  great 
that  his  power  was  wrecked,  and  had  the  Mexi- 
cans chosen  to  have  followed  up  their  advantage, 
might  have  easily  exterminated  them. 

And  now  while  Cortez  and  the  remnant  of 
his  followers  lay  sullenly  outside  the  city  nurs- 


394  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

ing  their  wrath  and  wounds,  with  Cbrtez  sitting 
during  an  entire  night  beneath  a  great  cypress 
tree  (which  may  yet  be  seen  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  city,  and  called  "The  tree  of  La  Noche 
Triste"),  weeping  at  the  loss  of  his  power,  and 
the  Mexicans  were  rising  about  them  until  there 
seemed  no  possible  escape,  reinforcements  came 
from  Cuba.  With  these,  making  a  combined 
force  of  six  hundred  Spaniards,  with  a  battery 
of  nine  cannon,  together  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  Tlascallan  allies  and  fifty 
thosuand  Tozcocoans,  Cortex  commenced  a  siege 
of  the  city,  now  defended  by  the  brave  Guate- 
motzin.  Mercilessly  this  horde  attacked  the  be- 
sieged Mexicans,  setting  fire  to  the  buildings  as 
they  pressed  about,  and  shutting  off  all  supplies. 
Desperately  the  Mexicans  fought,  scorning  sur- 
render, and  by  decoying  them  into  ambush 
made  such  havoc  in  their  ranks  as  to  cause  them 
for  a  time  to  falter,  finally,  however,  weak  from 
starvation,  they  were  forced  to  the  last  trench, 
the  city's  center,  when  with  fiendish  desperation 
they  were  rushed  upon  from  all  sides  and  slain 
like  sheep,  until  the  streets,  the  squares  and  the 
courts  of  buildings  were  so  covered  with  the 
dead  that  travel  was  impossible  withouit  stepping 
upon  them. 

Guatemotziii  was  captured,  and  in  forcing 
him  to  divulge  the  hiding  of  treasure  in  addition 
to  that  taken  from  Montezuma  upon  their  pre- 
vious possession  of  the  city,  the  Spaniards 
soaked  his  feet  in  oil  and  burned  them  over  a 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  395 

slow  fire.  This  brought  forth,  however,  no  con- 
fession from  the  brave,  unyielding  Guatemot- 
zin,  save  the  exultant  reply  that  he  had  east  it 
into  the  lake.  To-day  a  fine  statue  of  this  noble 
defender  of  his  race,  and  the  last  of  the  Aztec 
kings  may  be  seen  rising  proudly  from  the  cen- 
ter of  one  of  the  Glorietas,  or  great  circles  of 
the  Paseo  leading  to  Chapultepec. 

The  Aztecs  or  Mexicans  now  fully  conquered 
and  their  city  and  stronghold  in  ruins,  Spanish 
triumph  was  complete  save  the  subjugation  of 
numerous  small  and  unimportant  tribes,  and 
Spanish  rule  at  once  began.  Much,  of  which 
we  will  ever  remain  utterly  ignorant,  concerning 
the  Aztecs  might  have  been  given  to  the  world 
had  it  not  been  for  the  act  of  that  iconoclastic 
and  bigoted  priest,  the  first  Archbishop  of  Mex- 
ico, Don  Juan  Zumarraga,  who  caused  to  be 
gathered  up  and  burned  all  of  their  records, 
which  were  in  the  form  of  picture  writings. 

The  government  of  this  country  henceforth 
by  the  Spaniards  is  too  well  known  to  require 
detailed  discussion  or  description  herein.  The 
Viceroys  of  the  Vice  Regal  system  installed  were 
in  most  part  effete  members  of  nobility,  ex- 
haiiisted  in  purse  and  devoid  of  principle,  who 
as  autocratic  rulers  of  this  new  and  far  distant 
possession,  saw  an  opportunity  to  quickly  re1- 
plenish  their  wasted  fortunes,  and  lost  no  time 
in  so  doing,  to  the  end  that  between  the  enforced 
system  of  contributions  on  the  part  of  the  sub- 


396  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

jects  for  the  fattening  of  these  viceroys,  the  enor- 
mous tax  levied  for  the  benefit  of  the  king  and 
the  ostentations  home  government  in  Spain, 
coupled  with  the  continued  abuses  by  that  gov- 
ernment particularly  under  that  monster  of  ini- 
quity, Phillip  the  Second,  through  whom  the 
terrors  of  Inquisition  were  now  introduced  in 
his  new  dominion  (then  called  Nuevo  Espana), 
together  with  a  practical  enslavement  of  the  na- 
tive population,  placed  these  poor  people  in  a  po- 
sition pitiable  in  the  extreme ;  a  condition  which 
they  endured,  however,  for  nearly  three  hundred 
years,  when  of  a  sudden  unheralded  and  unat- 
tended by  pomp  or  display  there  emerged  from 
the  wilderness  to  the  south  in  the  year  1803  and 
entered  their  land  an  individual,  unpretentious, 
yet  greater  than  all  the  viceroys  of  Mexico, 
greater  than  all  the  kings  or  queens  of  Spain  or 
any  other  country  who  had  yet  lived  or  who 
have  ever  since  lived,  for  he,  the  illustrious  Von 
Humboldt,  gave  to  these  people  (as  he  did  to 
other  nations)  more  truths  and  a  greater  knowl- 
edge of  their  country's  resources  than  they  had 
gained  in  all  time  preceding. 

The  successful  attempt  at  independence  on 
the  part  of  the  American  Colonists  (together 
with  the  awakening  received,  quickened  trade, 
and  generally  improved  conditions,  arising  from 
the  war  between  Spain  and  England,  wherein 
through  fear  of  transporting  the  product  of  the 
mines  to  the  mother  country  on  account  of  Eng- 


BEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  397 

lish  privateers  with  which  the  seas  swarmed,  it 
was  forced  to  remain  ^in  Mexico),  had  instilled 
in  the  minds  of  these  people  the  thought  of  a 
like  attempt;  and  now  when  five  years  subse- 
quent to  the  appearance  of  Humboldt  the  ag- 
gressive Napoleon  usurped  the  government  of 
Spain,  the  thought  grew  stronger  in  the  minds 
of  many  that  any  possible  obligations  to  a  for- 
eign power  had  ceased,  and  that  in  place  of  be- 
ing conveyed  as  part  and  parcel  of  a  great  hold- 
ing to  a  stranger,  they  were  free  to  establish  a 
government  of  their  own.  This  ambition,  how- 
ever, was  of  course  bitterly  opposed  by  the 
Spanish  rulers  of  that  country,  as  under  a  con- 
stitutional form  of  government  they  would  re- 
ceive  slight  recognition  through  any  ability  or 
merit  they  possessed  and  especially  in  view  of 
the  unprincipled  and  cruel  service  they  had  lent 
themselves  to  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a 
century  preceding.  Yet,  two  years  longer  the 
fires  of  their  ambition  smouldered,  then  burst 
into  flame  and  under  the  leadership  of  that  pa- 
triot priest,  Don  Miguel  Hidalgo,  revolution 
raged  throughout  the  land.  Hidalgo  was  in 
charge  of  an  unimportant  parish  in  the  little 
town  of  Dolores,  when  on  the  15th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1810,  he  proclaimed  his  renouncement 
of  Spanish  rule,  of  which  the  church  was  the 
great  advocate  and  through  which  it  had  accu- 
mulated untold  wealth  and  power,  and  an- 
nounced himself  as  the  uncompromising  advo- 
cate of  independence.  Instantly  from  moun- 


398  REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

tain  and  plain,  from  forest  and  jungle  poured 
forth  legions  of  the  poverty-stricken,  down-trod- 
den, long-suffering  natives,  amongst  which  were 
found  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  the  middle  classes. 
Twenty  thousand  of  them  armed  only  with 
clubs,  stones  and  knives,  with  an  occasional  gun, 
pounced  first  upon  the  important  and  wealthy 
city  of  Guanajuato,  a  stronghold  of  the  Span- 
iards, when  blind  with  fury  over  their  three  cen- 
turies of  abuse,  they  gave  no  heed  of  their  own 
lives  and  spared  not  those  of  their  persecutors. 
The  stronghold  fell,  the  city  was  sacked,  and  with 
its  streets  slippery  with  blood,  they  marched 
forth  and  away  toward  the  capital  itself.  Reach- 
ing the  valley,  Hidalgo's  followers  had  increased 
to  one  hundred  thousand ;  meeting  here  a  Span- 
ish army  which  he  defeated,  he  marched  on  to 
within  fifteen  miles  of  the  city,  and  camping 
for  a  few  days,  he  for  some  reason  never  yet  ex- 
plained, began  a  retreat.  And  herein  the  error 
occurred  which  caused  long  weary  years  of  tur- 
moil and  bloodshed  to  ensue  ere  these  unhappy 
and  oppressed  people  in  any  manner  controlled 
their  own  destinies,  for  unquestionably  had  Hi- 
dalgo followed  up  his  advantages,  himself  and 
his  followers  would  have  been  overwhelmed  with 
triumphs,  the  Augean  stables  would  have  been 
quickly  and  effectually  cleaned,  independence 
under  constitutional  government  thoroughly  and 
more  quickly  established  and  accepted  by  these 
people  so  unaccustomed  and  uneducated  to  the 
change,  and  vast  areas  afterward  lost  would  no 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  399 

doubt  have  yet  remained  Mexican  territory.  The 
sudden  voluntary  cessation  of  his  triumphal 
march,  however,  allowed  the  fury  of  his  follow- 
ers to  cool  and  gave  to  the  Spanish  government 
that  time  so  much  needed  to  recover  from  sur- 
prise and  consternation,  when  with  a  train  of 
artillery  and  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men,  Hi- 
dalgo was  overtaken  and  defeated.  Guanajuato 
was  then  retaken  and  over  fourteen  thousand  de- 
fenceless men,  women  and  children  murdered  in 
the  streets  in  one  day.  Hidalgo  was  again  de- 
feated, captured  and  shot,  Morelos  now  became 
the  leader  of  the  vast  and  scattered  horde  in 
whom  the  spirit  of  independence  had  in  no  de- 
gree abated,  and  on  the  16th  day  of  November, 
1813,  the  first  formal  declaration  of  independ- 
ence was  made,  while  on  October  22,  1814, 
nearly  a  year  later,  and  while  fugitives  every- 
where from  Spanish  soldiery,  a  constitution  was 
framed  by  a  delegation  of  these  patriots  hidden 
in  the  forest  of  Apantzingo. 

Morelos  soon  shared  the  fate  of  Hidalgo,  as 
did  several  others  of  the  numerous  leaders  which 
followed.  There  was  one  wily,  uncompromis- 
ing chieftain,  however,  who  from  his  mountain 
retreat  defied  the  power  of  Spain;  it  was  Don 
Yincente  Guerrero.  Iterbide,  commander  of  the 
army  of  the  viceroy,  was  at  last  sent  with  a  large 
force  to  capture  him.  Camping  in  his  vicinity, 
he  first  thought  over  the  matter  of  attack  upon 
this  invincible  patriot,  then  concluded  to  become 
a  revolutionist  himself,  and  arranging  a  meetr 


400  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

ing  with  Guerrero,  the  two  formulated  the  cele- 
brated "Plan  of  Iguala,"  so  named  from  a  little 
town  in  which  they  met.  This  was  proclaimed 
and  the  country  rose  en  masse  to  its  support. 
Iterbide  and  Guerrero  united  their  forces,  and 
strengthened  by  rapidly  augmenting  numbers, 
they  entered  and  took  possession  of  the  capital 
without  resistance.  Iterbide  was  at  once  pro- 
claimed Emperor  Augustin  I?  when  at  the  end 
of  nine  months  there  made  his  appearance  for 
the  first  time  in  the  national  affairs  of  Mexico 
that  seditious  scoundrel,  Santa  Anna,  who  tak- 
ing advantage  of  a  growing  unpopularity  on  the 
part  of  Iterbide,  worked  up  a  following.  In- 
citing insurrection,  Iterbide  was  exiled,  when 
venturing  later  to  return  to  his  native  land,  was 
shot;  the  country  meantime  having  been  gov- 
erned by  an  executive  body  of  three. 

And  now  in  1825  came  a  republic  with  Gua- 
delupe  Victoria  as  its  first  president.  Victoria, 
like  Guerrero,  was  a  vicious  enemy  of  Spanish 
government,  and  as  leader  of  a  Guerilla  band, 
waged  fearful  warfare  for  a  time,  until  finally 
his  little  band  being  wiped  out,  he  took  to  the 
mountain  forests,  where  alone  he  wandered  a  fu- 
gitive for  over  three  years,  learning  nothing  of 
the  affairs  of  his.  nation  until  one  day  an  Indian 
found  him  and  imparted  to  him  the  joyful  news 
of  independence.  Again  during  Victoria's  term 
of  office  we  find  Santa  Anna  issuing  pronuncia- 
mentos  and  stirring  up  trouble  and  revolt  wher- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  401 

ever  t  he  could.  However,  at  the  close  of  Victo- 
ria's term,  or  in  the  year  1828,  the  independence 
of  Mexico  was  acknowledged  by  the  United 
States,  also  in  fact  by  other  nations  of  Europe. 
In  the  same  year  an  American  .settlement  was 
made  in  Texas,  then  a  part  of  Mexico.  Victo- 
ria was  succeeded  by  Guerrero,  and  again  the 
meddlesome  Santa  Anna  began  his  traitorous 
work.  Guerrero  with  a  body  of  troop  left  the 
city  to  punish  the  scoundrel,  was  captured  and 
shot  by  this  traitorous  fiend,  and  again  Santa 
Anna  began  plotting  against  his  successor  as  he 
continued  to  do  against  everyone  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact,  keeping  the  republic  in  constant 
turmoil  and  warfare,  when  finally  in  1841,  he 
secured  control  of  government  for  a  short  time, 
was  dethroned,  made  prisoner  for  a  brief  spa.ce, 
then  allowed  to  escape  to  Cuba,  from  which 
point  he  continued  his  seditious  work.  He  set 
to  work  negotiating  with  nearly  every  country 
in  Europe  to*  take  possession  of  his  unfortunate 
and  defenseless  country,  bankrupt  and  raging 
with  dissension  and  revolution,  which  he  had 
studiously  and  viciously  incited.  And  here  pre- 
sents itself  a  page  in  the  history  of  this  long- 
suffering  and  now  ruin-rent  republic  which  will 
ever  remain  a  reflection  upon  the  government  of 
the  United  States. 

The  little  band  of  Americans  and  foreigners, 
settled  in  Texas  through  consent  of  the  Mexican 
government,  had  grown  in  numbers,  and  through 
the  long  internal  warfare  and  constant  revolu- 


402  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

tion  in  Mexico  had  sought  and  obtained  annex- 
ation to  the  United  States.  Santa  Anna  doing 
more  than  any  other  one  in  producing  and  main- 
taining a  condition  which  made  this  desirable, 
and  finally  even  in  exile,  causing  to  be  exercised 
continuous  persecution  of  these  people  for  so 
doing,  to  the  end  (diplomatic  relations  being  al- 
ready abandoned),  that  the  government  at  Wash- 
ington sought  the  protection  of  its  newly  ac- 
quired state,  and  war  followed.  In  so  far  as  de- 
fense of  Texas  was  concerned,  there  is  (aside 
from  such  views  as  many  might  have  of  harbor- 
ing a  runaway  or  secessionist),  no  criticism 
whatever,  were  there  not  another  side  to  the  case 
quite  plain  to  those  familiar  with  the  circum- 
stances and  no  longer  disputed. 

That  the  great  conspirator  and  destroyer  of 
the  peace  and  strength  of  his  own  country,  the 
infamous  Santa  Anna,  finally  succeeded  in  en- 
gaging the  United  States  in  the  questionable  un- 
dertaking refused  by  the  governments  of  Eu- 
rope, and  that  such  was  brought  about  by  collu- 
sion, the  main  object  of  the  United  States  being 
that  of  acquiring  territory,  and  that  it  was  a 
part  of  the  political  intrigue  through  which 
James  K.  Polk  was  elected  president,  is  a  mat- 
ter which  few  versed  in  its  details  attempt  to 
dispute  or  justify,  and  is  fully  evidenced  by 
such  transactions  as  Taylor's  uncalled-for  ag- 
gression in  crossing  the  Rio  Grande  and  attack- 
ing Matamoras,  by  the  importation  of  Santa 
Anna  into  Mexico  wherein  he  was  permitted  to 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  403 

pass  through  the  blockade  of  American  vessels 
and  land  at  Vera  Cruz,  for  the  purpose  of  stir- 
ring up  greater  discord  amongst  his  countrymen, 
and  by  means  of  his  revolutionary  following  se- 
cure his  command  of  the  Mexican  forces, 
through  all  of  which  together  with  the  fact  that 
one-half  of  Mexico  was  fighting  the  remaining 
half,  the  nation  bankrupt  aside  from  the  wealth 
of  the  church,  which  they  refused  to  disgorge  a 
dollar  of  except  to  create  greater  internal  strife, 
and  it  became  apparent  with  what  ease  an  in- 
vading force  and  an  even  smaller  one  of  any  na- 
tion, no  matter  their  mission,  might  have  accom- 
plished its  purpose. 

The  war  ended  (which  incidentally  was  by 
our  own  Gen.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  pronounced  "the 
most  unjust  and  unholy  war  ever  waged  against 
a  destitute  and  defenseless  people")  and  peace 
finally  declared  (for  which  was  delivered  the 
plunder  in  the  form  of  a  vast  territory  that  had 
formed  the  sole  object  of  invasion),  Santa  Anna 
the  virtual  agent  and  ally  of  the  United  States, 
no  longer  fortified  in  his  position  through  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  again  quickly  made  good 
his  escape,  when,  six  years  later  his  band  of 
revolutionists  having  gained  a  position  in  which 
to  protect,  him,  this  arch  conspirator  again  re- 
turned for  a  brief  term,  was  finally  overcome  by 
those  struggling  for  law,  order  and  general  good 
government,  and  leaving  the  capital  between  two 
days,  took  refuge  in  the  United  States,  whose  in- 
terests he  had  so  zealously  served. 


404  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

The  church,  since  the  overthrow  of  Spanish 
dominion,  cared  little  in  whose  hands  the  gov- 
ernment rested,  so  that  such  government  what- 
ever it  might  be,  made  the  Catholic  faith  exclu- 
sive of  all  other  in  Mexico,  freed  them  from 
taxation,  and  permitted  their  continuous  drain 
upon  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  through  a  perpet- 
uation of  blind  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  pro- 
ducing masses,  whereby  from  the  sale  of  bulls 
for  absolvence  from  any  crime  whatsoever,  and 
from  the  wholesale  appropriation  of  the  prop- 
erty of  equally  ignorant,  unthinking,  death-bed 
penitents,  be  they  rich  or  poor,  they  had  already 
taken  unto  themselves  one-half  of  the  taxable 
property  of  Mexico,  and  were  en  route  to  rap- 
idly acquire  the  other  half.  Their  cathedrals 
were  simply  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  wealth 
of  the  nation  in  the  form  of  gold,  silver,  precious 
stones,  and  art,  while  the  choicest  landed  estates 
dotted  the  republic,  until  in  even  those  days  of 
comparatively  undeveloped  resources,  the  aggre- 
gate wealth  of  the  church  in  Mexico  was  esti- 
mated at  nearly  one  billion  of  dollars,  though 
nine-tenths  of  the  nation's  people  were  enslaved 
and  starving. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  the  United 
States,  Gomez  Farias  suggested  that  the  penni- 
less nation,  having  all  it  could  do  to  cope  with 
such  internal  conspirators  as  Santa  Anna  and 
his  followers,  should  receive  some  assistance 
from  the  church,  who  possessed  all  the  wealth 
and  nine-tenths  of  the  privileges.  In  response  to 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  405 

this  (as  stated)  they  simply  armed  bands  to 
make  war  upon  Farias  and  his  followers  for 
daring  to  suggest  such  contribution. 

The  Constitution  so  far  had  declared  that  no 
church  but  the  Catholic  should  be  allowed,  and 
that  the  press  while  free  in  other  respects, 
should  under  no  circumstances  be  permitted  to 
criticize  the  church.  But  now,  in  1857,  a  new 
Constitution  (that  which  now  exists)  was  adopt- 
ed, and  the  right  was  declared  to  worship  in 
any  faith  one  chose,  and  to  discuss  the  same 
freely.  Benito  Juarez  was  at  the  time  (under 
Alvarez)  Minister  of  Justice  and  Ecclesiastical 
Affairs,  and  through  whom  (a  Zapotec  Indian, 
born  of  poor  parents  in  the  state  of  Oaxaca,  but 
of  a  tribe  who,  fortified  in  their  mountain  fast- 
nesses, the  Spanish  had  never  been  able  to  con- 
quer) was  created  what  was  known  as  the  "Law 
of  Juarez,"  abolishing  class  legislation,  restrict- 
ing the  military  and  the  church,  and  establish- 
ing absolute  equality  of  all  citizens  before  the 
law. 

The  President  Comonfort,  too  weak  to  en- 
force the  law?  played  fast  and  loose,  until  finally 
assassinated  at  the  instigation  of  the  church, 
when  Juarez  falling  heir  to  the  presidency,  com- 
menced at  once  the  work  of  relieving  the  distress 
and  prohibiting  further  impositions  upon  a  long- 
outraged  populace,  and  at  the  same  time  admin- 
istering to  the  church  the  punishment  they  so 
richly  deserved. 


406  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

In  the  forty  years  preceding,  Mexico  had 
endured  thirty-six  different  forms  of  govern- 
ment, administered  by  seventy-three  different 
rulers.  The  entire  period  being  fraught  with  in- 
creasing internal  strife,  conspiracy  and  warfare, 
with  additional  troubles  from  without,  Mexico 
was  driven  to  the  depths  of  national  poverty, 
and  in  debt  to  everyone  of  whom  they  could  bor- 
row. And  now  when  the  first  ray  of  light 
seemed  to  be  dawning  after  the  long,  dark  night 
of  turbulence  and  distress,  the  three  creditor  na- 
tions— England,  Spain  and  France — formed  a 
forced  collection  alliance,  when  after  the  com- 
bined fleet  had  reached  Vera  Cruz  a  treaty  was 
made  whereby  the  English  and  Spanish, 
ashamed  of  their  action,  found  an  excuse  to 
withdraw,  while  the  Erench  insisted  upon  in- 
vading the  interior.  And  now,  unlike  the  con- 
ditions which  opposed  American  invasion 
(though  equally  penniless  and  poorly  equipped) 
there  existed  that  important  factor  of  com- 
parative loyalty  and  unity  of  effort  in  their 
country's  defence,  which  coupled  with  the  lead- 
ership other  than  that  of  an  infamous  Santa 
Anna,  gave  to  the  French  an  unlooked  for  strug- 
gle. For  an  unexpected  Napoleon  had  risen 
up  and  confronted  them  in  the  Western  Hemis- 
phere in  the  person  of  Porfirio  Diaz.  Yet  they 
swept  onward  and  capturing  the  capital,  Juarez 
and  his  cabinet  were  driven  from  place  to  place, 
finally  settling  at  Paso  del  Norte,  now  called 
Ciudad  Juarez,  situate  upon  the  American  bor- 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  407 

der,  just  across  the  Rio  Grande  from  the  pres- 
ent town  of  El  Paso,  in  Texas. 

The  French  now  installed  themselves  and 
set  up  a  government  known  as  a  limited  hered- 
itary monarchy,  with  a  Catholic  prince  as  ruler, 
who  was  to  assume  the  title  of  Emperor  of  Mex- 
ico, and  conferred  the  same  upon  Prince  Ferdi- 
nand Maximilian,  Archduke  of  Austria,  and 
brother  to  the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph.  Being 
deluded  into  the  belief  that  the  matter  was  agree- 
able to  the  Mexican  people,  he  accepted,  and 
accompanied  by  his  wife  Carlotta,  assumed  rule. 
His  unfortunate  ending  is  known  throughout 
the  world.  He  was  in  no  sense  at  heart  a  bad 
man,  but  neither  he  nor  his  government  were 
of  the  people's  choice.  A  deceitful  priesthood 
had  convinced  him  that  they  were,  and  sup- 
ported for  the  time  by  the  iron  hand  of  the 
French  military,  he  rested  secure.  Through 
his  innate  desire  to  be  just,  he  through  an  en- 
terprising and  democratic  attitude,  soon  called 
upon  himself  the  displeasure  of  the  church,  and 
so  disappointed  the  French  Emperor  that  he 
abandoned  his  idea  of  establishing  an  empire, 
and  withdrew  his  soldiers  from  Mexico1,  leaving 
Maximilian  to  work  out  his  own  salvation.  Had 
he  been  wise  he  would  have  departed  with  his 
military  support,  but  remaining,  his  danger  rap- 
idly increased,  for  though  disposed  to  champion 
the  cause  of  the  people,  he  could  not  be  forgotten 
as  the  representative  of  an  invading  and  usurp- 
ing power,  and  forgetful  of  all  his  virtues  was 


408  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

held  responsible  for  its  acts.  As  his  predica- 
ment became  more  appalling,  Carlotta  went 
alone  to  Paris  and  begged  the  emperor  to  return 
the  troops,  which  he  firmly  refused  to  do. 

Juarez  and  his  cabinet  now  began  moving 
southward  upon  a  return  to  the  capital,  while 
a  rapidly  augmenting  avenging  army  gathered 
for  his  support.  Maximilian  with  such  support 
as  he  could  accumulate,  moved  northward  to 
Queretaro,  and  meeting  here  the  opposing  forces 
of  Juarez,  was  defeated,  captured,  and  together 
with  his  two  generals,  Miramon  and  Mejia,  were 
courtmartialed,  and  on  the  19th  of  June,  1867, 
were  shot  upon  the  summit  of  "The  Hill  of 
Bells,"  an  eminence  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
where  to-day  may  be  seen  three  crosses  marking 
the  spot  where  they  fell. 

Two  days  following  the  execution  of  Maxi- 
milian, Diaz,  who  coming  up  from  the  south 
with  his  followers,  had  captured  the  city  of  Pu- 
ebla,  now  triumphantly,  after  a  short  siege,  en- 
tered the  City  of  Mexico,  where  Juarez  and  his 
cabinet  joined  him  in  the  middle  of  the  month 
following. 

And  now  the  country  settled  down  to  a  some- 
what united  and  peaceful  condition,  while  sin- 
cere and  rational  steps  were  taken  for  the  ad- 
justment of  the  national  debt,  for  a  system  of 
public  education,  and  for  the  encouragement  of 
the  construction  of  railways  and  other  improve- 
ments. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  400 

And  where  was  the  contemptible  Santa 
Anna  during  all  this  ?  Upon  the  arrival  of 
Maximilian,  he  from  his  place  of  exile  at  once 
tendered  his  services  to  the  new  emperor;  be- 
ing refused,  he  lost  no  time  in  making  a  like 
proposition  to  Juarez ;  treated  with  disdain  here, 
he  at  once  undertook  starting  a  rebellion  of  his 
own,  and  landing  in  Yucatan,  was  arrested, 
tried  and  sentenced  to  death,  which  the  great 
magnanimous  Juarez  commuted  to  eight  years 
of  exile,  finally  dying  in  obscurity  and  ridding 
the  world  of  his  detestable  being  in  1877. 

Revolution  had  so  long  prevailed  that 
through  force  of  habit  it  appeared  from  time 
to  time  for  a  brief  period,  but  was  met  with 
stern  resistance  by  Juarez.  Juarez  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Lerdo,  one  of  the  faithful  cabinet, 
who  fled  with  him  to  Paso  del  Norte,  and  who 
in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Porfirio  Diaz,  the  pro- 
tege, pupil,  law  partner,  and  general,  of  that 
grand  old  patriot,  Juarez. 

With  the  exception  of  one  term  held  by 
Gonzales,  Diaz  has  ever  since  remained  presi- 
dent of  the  rapidly  advancing  republic,  now  fast 
assuming  a  prominent  place  amongst  the  powers 
of  the  earth,  at  peace  with  itself  and  the  world, 
prosperous  in  the  pursuits  of  trade  and  the  de- 
velopment of  its  vast  resources,  and  possessed  of 
as  fine,  and  a  more  rapidly  growing  system  of 
public  education  than  elsewhere  to  be  found,  all 
of  which  having  been  accomplished  under  the 
reign  of  this  remarkable  man.  There  need  be 


410  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

little  criticism  in  the  act  of  a  now  united  and 
patriotic  people,  who  but  little  over  a  quarter 
of  a  century  since  agreed  upon  nothing  save  re- 
volt against  the  general  government,  who  in  the 
recent  past  have  seen  fit  to  amend  their  constitu- 
tion whereby  to  make  possible  his  occupancy  of 
the  office  so  long  as  he  shall  live,  which  in  all 
probability  will  occur,  for  though  having  been 
born  in  1830,  his  work  in  war  and  in  peace  place 
him  to-day  pre-eminently  at  the  head  of  the  pres- 
ent-day chiefs  of  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Such  roughly  and  briefly  is  the  tale  of  Mex- 
ico from  the  dawn  of  information  upon  the  sub- 
ject until  now. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

In  no  small  degree  does  one's  knowledge  of 
the  country's  past  contribute  to  their  first  im- 
pressions of  the  extremely  sunny  peaceful,  po- 
etic atmosphere  that  everywhere  to-day  pervades 
Mexico  and  its  life. 

The  mind  freighted  with  information  of 
those  distressing  scenes  of  human  sacrifice,  the 
brutality  and  inhumanity  of  conquest,  and  the 
terrors  of  revolution  (which  combined  would 
seem  to  have  fully  engrossed  the  acts  and  the 
ambitions  of  these  people  for  nearly  a  thousand 
years),  comes  first  into  contact  with  them  fully 
and  only  prepared  to  experience  and  accept  a 
personality  on  the  part  of  these  people,  which 
acquired,  augmented  and  handed  down  through 
centuries  of  bloodshed  and  dissension,  it  would 
seem  must  form  an  inheritance  which  even  yet 
would  manifest  itself  through  sullen  indiffer- 
ence and  a  coarse  and  brutal  manner.  Yet  no- 
where amongst  the  nations  of  the  earth  are  to  be 
found  a  people  whose  genial,  courteous,  hospit- 
able manner,  exceeds  in  genuineness  and  extent 
that  of  the  Mexicans^  be  they  patrician  or  ple- 
bian.  In  the  thousands  of  miles  traveled  by 
the  writer  with  pack  train  through  the  most  re- 
mote regions  of  the  land,  and  accompanied  only 
by  servants  of  the  Indian  or  peon  class  "Mozos," 


412  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

camping  by  the  wayside  where  night  overtook  us 
and  hundreds  of  miles  perhaps  from  railway  or 
telegraph,  he  has  yet  to  experience  at  their 
hands  other  than  kindness,  courtesy  and  a  de- 
gree of  faithfulness  difficult  to  find  elsewhere. 
And  again  frequently  sheltered  in  the  humble 
abode  of  a  poor  Mexican,  enjoyed  an  observ- 
ance of  unaffected  dignity  tempered  by  a  refined,, 
whole-souled  hospitality,  that  might  long  yet 
remain  an  example  to  be  emulated  by  the  most 
pretentious  of  Newport  entertainers.  And 
now,  when  morning  came  and  we  were  about  to 
depart  (knowing  well  the  scanty  store  of  fri- 
joles  and  tortillas  which  had  been  so  gener- 
ously shared),  venturing  to  ask  the  indebted* 
ness,  the  impecunious  yet  proud  and  dignified 
host  would  majestically  draw  his  zerape  about 
him  and  courteously  yet  decisively  impart  the 
information  that  his  was  not  a  hotel. 

Of  the  fourteen  millions  or  more  who  inhabit 
the  republic,  more  than  three-fourths  are  natives, 
or  descendants  of  the  different  tribes  who  occu- 
pied the  country  prior  to  the  conquest,  In 
many  of  them  the  blood  remains  pure,  but 
largely  it  is  intermingled  with  the  Spanish, 
English  and  French.  Although  a  bordering  na- 
tion, there  are  yet  but  little  over  thirty  thousand 
Americans  in  the  entire  republic,  by  far  the 
greater  percentage  of  whom  are  engaged  in  min- 
ing, and  many  of  whom  cannot  be  regarded  as 
even  true  residents,  let  alone  the  matter  of  citi- 
zenship. 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  413 

The  general  form  of  Mexico  is  that  of  an  ele- 
vated table  land  rising  somewhat  abruptly  from 
each  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coast  lines  into 
nigged  mountain  chains,  between  which  exists 
the  table  land  proper,  itself  interspersed  with 
fragmentary  ranges,  while  the  desert-like  fea- 
tures bounding  it  on  the  north  and  covering  so 
great  an  area  in  the  United  States,  continue 
southward  over  this  entire  plateau  to  a  line  cor- 
responding closely  with  the  22d  parallel,  when  a 
field  of  productiveness  has  been  reached  which 
extends  unbroken  (save  for  the  mountainous 
portions)  to  the  southern  boundary.  Both  coast 
lines,  though  the  climate  isi  hot  and  at  points 
unhealthy,  are  extremely  productive  and  sup- 
port a  large  population. 

The  great  northern  and  central  table  land 
referred  to  must  not  be  regarded,  however,  as  an 
absolute  waste,  for  over  its  arid  plains  range 
millions  of  cattle,  sheep  and  goats,  while  the 
small  ranges  with  which  it  is  dotted,  furnish 
much  gold  and  silver,  though  the  most  general 
mineral  area  is  the  mountains  of  the  western 
coast  In  fact,  the  largest  individual  cattle  and 
land  owner  in  the  world  is  to  be  found  here  upon 
this  table  land  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua.  Gen- 
eral Terrazas,  an  ardent  revolutionist,  after  a 
long  struggle  in  behalf  of  independence  finally 
settled  down  to  the  more  peaceful  pursuit  of 
stock  raising,  and  here  to-day  ranging  over  mill- 
ions of  acres  of  his  own  lands,  besides  millions 
more  belonging  to  the  government,  are  found 


414:  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

bearing  his  brand  five  hundred  thousand  head  of 
cattle,  one  million  sheep  and  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand goats,  together  with  a  herd  of  horses  so 
great  than  at  an  anniversary  of  his  birth  (the 
festivities  being  held  at  one  of  his  ranches  in 
the  edge  of  a  mountain  range  about  ten  miles 
distant  across  a  level  plain  from  the  Mexican 
Central  Railway)  he  was  enabled  to  select  five 
hundred  white  horses  from  his  own  herd,  and  to 
mount  them  with  five  hundred  of  his  own  cow 
punchers,  dressed  in  white  uniforms ;  with  these 
he  received  his  guests  at  the  railway  and  gave 
them  escort  to  the  ranch  and  return.  Aside 
from  his  palatial  residence  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
huahua, he  owns  and  occupies  a  country  seat 
about  five  miles  distant  up  the  Chihuahua  river 
and  near  the  Mexican  Central  Railway,  which 
has  few  equals  in  all  the  efforts  of  the  multi-mill- 
ionaire class  in  the-  United  States.  Banking, 
mining,  iron  manufacture,  and  meat  canning 
contribute  further  to  the  unlimited  holdings  and 
princely  income  of  this  lord  of  the  arid  waste. 
Mexico  is  without  question  the  most  fruitful 
area  of  its  size  in  the  world  in  the  production 
of  precious  metals.  Since  the  conquest  the  re- 
corded production  of  silver  alone  amounts  to 
over  four  billions  of  ounces;  or  otherwise  ex- 
pressed, more  silver  than  exists  in  the  world  at 
the  present  time  in  the  form  of  money.  There 
are  at  least  four  mining  camps  in  Mexico,  to 
each  of  whom  is  to  be  credited  a  production  of 
gold  and  silver  of  over  one  billion  of  dollars. 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  415 

Under  Spanish  rule  one-fifth  of  the  gross  pro- 
duct was  a  tithing  taken  for  the  king  or  the  home 
government;  then  the  corrupt  viceroy  must  be 
cared  for,  while  the  church  at  one  time  came 
very  near  taking  what  was  left.  In  the  city  of 
Chihuahua  is  a  cathedral  costing  eight  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  built  from  a  tax  of  two  per 
cent,  levied  upon  the  gross  product  of  the  Santa 
Eulalia  mine  near  by.  Yet  notwithstanding 
all  these  demands,  and  notwithstanding  the  ab- 
ject poverty  and  pitiful  condition  of  servitude 
endured,  by  the  native  masses,  the  fortune  of 
mining  then  as  in  later  times  picked  occasion- 
ally from  the  lowly  and  serf -like  horde  an  object 
iipon  which  to  lavish  untold  wealth.  Nearly 
fifty  years  before  the  liberty  bell  in  Philadel- 
phia rang  out  its  peals  of  independence,  a  poor 
peon  in  Mexico  named  Peter  Terreros  who  had 
for  twelve  years  toiled  alone  (during  such  time 
as  was  left  him  after  earning  a  miserable  sup- 
port) digging  away  in  an  abandoned  mine,  with 
little  promise  of  reward,  when  suddenly  he  en- 
countered ore  of  such  volume  and  of  such  fab- 
ulous richness,  that,  the  wealth  pouring  in  upon 
him  was  difficult  to  handle.  He  first  built  two 
magnificent  ships  of  the  line  and  presented  them 
to  the  King  of  Spain,  then  sent  word  to  his  Maj- 
esty that  if  he  would  visit  him,  that  both  he  and 
the  horse  he  rode  should  tread  upon  nothing  but 
sheets  of  silver  from  the  time  of  his  landing  at 
Vera  Cruz  until  his  return.  Upon  the  mar- 
riage of  his  daughter  the  pathway  over  which 

27 


416  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

the  bridal  party  passed  between  the  house  and 
the  church  was  paved  with  bars  of  silver  and 
gold ;  his  income  rose  to  more  than  a  million 
dollars  per  month,  while  his  final  possessions 
amounting  to  a  hundred  millions  or  more  were 
during  that  period  simply  inconceivable.  In 
consideration  of  this  man's  vast  wealth,  together 
with  his  princely  contributions  to  the  church 
and  other  causes,  he  was  created  Count  of  Regla. 
The  revolution  which  followed  swept  away  his 
vast  accumulations  to  an  extent  that  his  entire 
descendants  were  left  penniless.  Other  in- 
stances in  these  early  times  and  amongst  these 
down-trodden  and  severely  governed  people,  of 
sudden  elevation  from  pitiful  poverty  to  won- 
drous  wealth  occurred  frequently,  one  in  partic- 
ular which  probably  ranks  next  to  that  of  Terre- 
ros,  occurred  but  a  short  time  subsequent,  where 
the  fortunate  discoverer  gained  a  fortune  of 
nearly  seventy-five  millions. 

Again  over  where  the  city  of  Durango  now 
slands  (and  incidentally  where  occurs  the  great- 
est and  most  valuable  iron  deposit  in  the  world) 
there  dwelt  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  years 
ago  a  humble  "ranchero."  A  little  village  was 
started  upon  his  lands,  and  a  mine  was  dis- 
covered which  soon  endowed  him  with  such  fab- 
ulous wealth  that  he  built  a  palace,  which 
to-day  is  occupied  as  the  palace  of  the  governor 
of  the  state  of  Durango ;  before  building  this  he 
sent  a  request  to  the  King  of  Spain  to  be  allowed 
to  build  his  "portales,"  or  porches,  of  silver, 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  417 

and  accompanied  the  request  with  a  present  of 
two  millions  of  dollars.  It  being  a  privilege  of 
royalty  only,  the  king  refused  permission,  but 
neglected  to  return  the  two  millions. 

And  now  at  the  present  writing  comes  Pedro 
Alverado,  who  after  a  lifetime  of  toil  in  which 
to  provide  himself  with  the  plainest  of  food  and 
clothing,  meantime  owning  and  delving  away  at 
an  insignificant  holding  in  the  mining  camp  of 
Parral,  at  last  breaks  into  a  storehouse  of  treas- 
ure which  converts  his  little  property  of  yester- 
day, seeking  a  sale  at  a  few  thousand  dollars, 
into  a  bonanza  the  purchase  of  which  now  stag- 
gers the  largest  combinations  of  capital;  mean- 
time the  opulent  owner  seeks  not  the  title  of  a 
count,  but  loyal  to  his  country  and  his  race,  be- 
stows his  wealth  with  a  lavish  hand  upon  the 
less  fortunate  who  surround  him,  and  incident- 
ally proposes  to  the  President  of  his  republic  to 
be  permitted  to  pay  the  national  debt. 

Few  there  are  as  compared  with  the  whole 
(even  in  the  adjoining  country  of  the  United 
States),  who  even  vaguely  realize  the  wealth  of 
interesting  matter  with  which  this  sunny  land  is 
strewn.  When  the  resident  of  the  newer  do- 
main to  the  north,  exhausted  from  the  struggle 
and  laden  with  accumulation,  starts  for  Europe, 
either  in  pursuit  of  quiet. and  rest  or  the  gratifi- 
cation of  a  scholarly  and  refined  taste  (fanciful 
or  otherwise)  through  an  environment  of  art 
and  antiquity,  he  or  she  simply  goes  farther  and 


418  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

fares  worse,  for  in  this  great  range  of  territory 
extending  from  the  thirty-second  parallel  on  the 
north  to  a  point  only  twelve  degrees  removed 
from  the  equator,  with  elevations  reaching  from 
sea  level  to  nearly  eighteen  thousand  feet  above, 
with  meteorological  conditions  varying  from  an 
inch  of  rainfall  to  one  hundred,  with  centers 
teeming  with  life  and  vast  areas  wrapt  in  soli- 
tude, there  is  found  every  condition  of  climate 
and  every  degree  of  life  association.  And  again, 
here  thronged  with  beings  were  great  cities  with 
lordly  palaces  and  gilded  temples,  while  the 
ground  upon  which  now  stand  those  the  most 
ancient  of  modern  Europe  was  still  the  wild  and 
unreclaimed  hunting  ground  of  a  then  brutal 
savage,  and  yet  others  with  walls  of  ornate  sculp- 
ture, then  apparently  as  battered  and  gray  with 
age  as  now,  had  their  creation  long  before  our 
Saviour  had  His  birth. 

The  Pacific  coast,  including  Lower  Califor- 
nia, still  remains  the  frontier  of  Mexico,  for  as 
yet  no  line  of  railway  from  the  interior  reaches 
it  in  all  that  great  stretch  from  the  Gulf  of  Te- 
huantepec  northerly  to  Guaymas,  while  from  the 
latter  place  the  connection  is  made  for  some  con- 
siderable distance  through  the  United  States,  a 
condition,  however,  the  end  of  which  is  near. 

The  coast  cities  of  Guaymas,  Culiacan,  Ma- 
zatlan,  Manzanillo  and  Acupulco,  though  active 
and  prosperous  business  centers,  are  compara- 
tively modern  and  present  little  of  interest  to  the 
student  of  art  and  archeology,  save  to  a  slight 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  419 

extent  that  of  the  latter,  which,  on  account  of  its 
delightful  harbor  soon  discovered  by  the  inde- 
fatigable Spanish  conquerors,  was  immediately 
occupied,  and  from  here  in  1540,  but  nine  years 
after  its  discovery,  sailed  Don  Hernando  de 
Alarcon,  the  discoverer  of  California.  From 
here  later,  and  until  the  end  of  Spanish  rule, 
sailed  the  richly  laden  galleons,  in  the  trade  be- 
tween Spain,  China  and  the  East  Indies.  For 
as  Bret  Harte  has  said  in  his  famous  poem,  the 
"Lost  Galleon," 

"In  sixteen  hundred  and  forty-one 
The  regular  yearly  Galleon 
Laden  with  odorous  gums  and  spice, 
And  the  richest  silks  of  far  Cathay, 
Was  due  at  Aeupulco  Bay." 

These  cargos  were  the  richest  upon  an  aver- 
age of  those  of  any  carrying  trade  in  the  world 
before  or  since,  and  ran  into  millions  of  dollars 
each,  the  outgoing  being  treasure  from  the  rich 
mines  of  Mexico,  in  payment  for  the  costly  mer- 
chandise that  returned,  and  much  of  which,  by 
the  way,  did  not  return,  for  English  and  French 
pirates  with  swift,  and  well-armed  vessels  lurked 
constantly  in  the  numerous  shelterings  of  the 
coast  to  pounce  upon  the  enticing  prey. 

By  far  the  most  charming  of  this  altogether 
intensely  interesting  land  is  the  south  half  of 
that  portion  lying  east  of  the  Pacific  coast  range. 
Ciudad  Juarez,  on  the  extreme  northern  boun- 
dary, has  little  of  historical  interest  save  as  be- 


420  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

ing  the  fugitive  capital  during  the  struggle  for 
independence.  Chihuahua,  over  two  hundred 
miles  due  south,  ranks  well  in  years  with  the 
earliest  of  the  cities  that  followed  the  conquest, 
having  been  founded  only  forty-seven  years  sub- 
sequent to  the  landing  of  Columbus.  It  is, 
however,  too  much  a  border  town  to  preserve  in 
any  marked  degree  the  purity  of  race  customs. 

East  of  the  Sierra  Madres  and  between  Chi- 
huahua and  the  twenty-fourth  parallel,  which 
may  be  taken  as  the  northern  limit  of  the  more 
attractive  area  referred  to,  are  located  the  fol- 
lowing more  or  less  interesting  cities,  nearly  all 
founded  during  the  sixteenth  century.  Parras, 
noted  for  its  surrounding  vineyards  and  the  ex- 
cellent quality  of  its  wines;  Saltillo,  where  the 
finest  zerapes  are  made.  Monterey,  Monclova 
and  Matamoros,  like  Chihuahua  and  Juarez,  are 
in  too  great  a  degree  border  towns  to  be  possessed 
of  extreme  interest.  Torreon,  though  of  con- 
siderable size,  is  a  railway  town  and  modern. 
Durango,  situated  upon  the  dividing  line,  or 
the  24th  parallel,  is  by  far  the  most  prominent 
and  interesting  of  all  the  cities  so  far  reached. 
Aside  from  the  already  mentioned  mountain  of 
iron  which  still  exists,  and  the  ranchers  with 
ambitions  for  silver  balconies  and  porches  who 
no  longer  exist,  the  place,  now  a  city  of  no  mean 
dimensions,  possesses  many  attractions  and  is 
the  center  of  extensive  mining  and  other  indus- 
tries. 

Continuing  southward,  the  traveler  now  en- 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  421 

ters  a  field  even  richer  as  a  whole  than  any  other 
on  earth  in  all  that  goes  to  heighten  the  fancy 
and  gratify  the  cravings  of  a  mind  governed  by 
loftier  conceptions  and  guided bynobler  impulses 
than  the  limitless  accumulation  and  individual 
appropriation  of  material  things  with  its  result- 
ant governing  power,  no  matter  whether  it  be 
through  the  brutal  conquest  of  a  Cortez  or  the 
equally  effective  and  no  less  oppressive  methods 
of  more  modern  design.  A  land  where  fertile 
and  tranquil  valley  and  plain  teem  with  monu- 
ments hewn  from  the  everlasting  rocks,  impres- 
sively heroic  in  magnitude  and  artful  in  design, 
which  mark  the  wavering,  winding  course  of  evo- 
lution and  tell  the  tale  of  an  existence  from  that 
of  now,  back  so  far  that  no  single  other  fact 
remains,  the  pathway  itself  is  lost,  while  ever 
ready  yet  unfounded  tradition  reverently  recoils 
from  any  attempt  at  explanation.  And  now  cir- 
cling 'round  about  the  whole,  reared  into  mon- 
strous form  through  the  earth's  convulsions  and 
later  carved  into  intricate  design  by  that  great 
artisan  in  earth  sculpture,  exists  a  system  of 
mountain  barriers,  with  here  and  there  a  tower- 
ing sentinel  breathing  forth  at  intervals  in  tones 
of  thunder  and  with  breath  of  fire  and  flame  a 
stern  warning  to  the  earthly,  irreverent  vandals 
who  prowl  below,  that  there  yet  remains  a  power 
other  and  greater  than  they. 

Here  upon  the  eastern  or  gulf  shore  line  of 
this  lower  half  of  the  republic  rest  the  promi- 
nent ports  of  Tampico  and  Vera  Cruz,  while 


422  REMINISCENT    R  AMBLINGS. 

scattered  throughout  the  vast  interior  and  clus- 
tering about  their  sovereign  (that  altogether 
most  charming  of  all  cities  of  the  Western  Hem- 
ispheres) are  such  as  Zacatecas,  San  Luis,  Po- 
tosi,  Guanajuato  and  Pachuca,  queens  in  the 
realm  of  gold  and  silver,  whose  mines  though 
worked  for  more  than  four  hundred  years  are 
still  producing,  and  each  of  which  has  given  to 
the  world  in  the  two  metals  more  than  one  bill- 
ion dollars.  Queretaro  with  its  field  of  opal 
gems ;  Leon  a  great  industrial  hive  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton,  woolen  and  leather  goods, 
ironware  and  cutlery,  with  no  usurpation  of  priv- 
ilege, but  divided  into  hundreds  of  small  propri- 
etorships; Guadalajara,  the  most  beautiful  and 
cleanly  city  in  North  America.  Puebla  filled 
with  churches  and  surrounded  by  volcanoes,  its 
cathedral  rivaling  that  of  Mexico,  except  in  di- 
mensions; Morelia,  the  birthplace  of  Morelos, 
and  the  city  of  beautiful  homes;  Cuernavaca, 
with  its  beautiful  Jardin  de  la  Borda,  with  its 
fountains,  lakes,  cataracts,  and  terraces,  the 
whole  rivaling  the  gardens  of  the  palace  at  Mar- 
sailles,  and  the  gift  of  a  poor  peon  who  made 
fifty  millions  in  mines ;  here  Cortez  built  a  pal- 
ace home,  which  to-day  is  occupied  as  the  state 
capitol,  and  here,  too,  Maximilian  and  Carlo tta 
passed  much  of  that  gay  and  luxurious  existence 
which  preceded  the  terrible  end.  Oaxaca,  a  city 
long  before  the  conquest  by  Cortez  or  the  land- 
ing of  Columbus,  with  its  beautiful  church  of 
Santo  Domingo,  costing  over  thirteen  millions 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  423 

of  dollars  and  filled  with  priceless  treasure,  the 
birthplace  of  each  of  those  illustrious  sons  of 
pure  Indian  blood,  Bonito  Juarez  and  Porfirio 
Diaz,  lies  upon  the  border  of  a  great  domain 
extending  still  farther  southward,  over  which 
are  scattered  the  ruins  of  cities  of  monstrous 
size  and  grand  design,  so  wrapt  in  the  mysticism 
of  antiquity  that  yet  no  light  is  shed  upon  their 
creation,  occupation  or  abandonment. 

The  first  of  these,  Mitla,  is  but  a  short  day's 
drive  from  Oaxaca;  from  here  extending  along 
the  isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  through  the  states 
of  Chiapas,  Campechi  and  Yucatan,  there  are 
great  numbers  of  these  ruins  of  prehistoric 
cities ;  but  the  greatest  of  them  all  is  that  of  Pal- 
enque,  situated  in  the  state  of  Chiapas,  near  the 
border  of  Guatemala,  and  buried  in  most  part  in 
the  depths  of  a  dense,  dark,  tropical  forest,  so 
tangled  with  thickets  and  vines  and  fallen  trees 
as  to  be  practically  impenetrable.  Here  once 
existed  a  city  that,  so  far  as  modern  explorers 
have  been  able  to  determine,  covered  an  area  of 
twenty  miles  square.  The  natives  claim  it  to  be 
much  larger;  however,  numerous  authorities 
reckon  it  to  have  covered  more  than  ten  times 
the  area  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  several 
times  that  of  London.  It  will  be  many  genera- 
tions under  the  most  favorable  circumstances  be- 
fore its  true  boundaries  will  be  known ;  as  buried 
beneath  debris,  the  accumulation  of  scores  of 
centuries,  and  the  present  surface  covered  with 
vegetation  so  dense  and  of  such  rapid  growth 


424  EEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

that  its  reproduction  in  most  part  is  but  a  matter 
of  a  few  months,  it  becomes,  together  with  the 
great  area  to  be  unearthed,  no  easy  task.  Yet 
of  it,  enough  is  exposed  and  fully  explored  to 
warrant  the  statement  that  Herculanseum,  Pom- 
peii, Thebes  and  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  are  in 
comparison  but  toys  viewed  from  the  standpoint 
of  magnitude  and  design,  while  from  that  of 
time  it  is  more  than  possible  they  are  but  chil- 
dren of  tender  years.  Charnay  and  Dupaix 
place  its  origin  (together  with  others  of  these 
cities)  long  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian era. 

The  priesthood  points  to  certain  indefinite 
figures,  in  the  wilderness  of  carvings  that  yet 
adorn  both  the  outer  and  inner  walls  of  such 
temples  and  palaces  as  are  exposed,  as  evidence 
that  these  people  knew  of  the  Christian  faith; 
and  with  no  authority  whatever,  place  the 
period  of  founding  in  the  third  century.  How- 
ever, so  far  as  the  occurrence  of  the  cross 
(though  it  may  be)  is  concerned,  it  appears  of 
but  little  value  in  establishing  the  existence  of 
these  people  and  the  creation  of  their  inconceiv- 
able works,  when  we  consider  the  fact  that 
archeologists  in  recent  time  have  recovered  in- 
numerable of  these  emblems  with  the  very  best 
evidence  to  show  their  existence  thousands  of 
years  before  our  Christ  was  born. 

In  viewing  the  works  here  presented  in  this 
one  city,  and  in  contemplation  of  the  vast  area 
remaining  yet  unexplored  (for  the  forest  and 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  425 

jungle  is  so  dense  that  one  might  pass  within, 
a  stone's  throw  of  a  structure  as  large  as  the 
capital  at  Washington  and  never  dream  of  its 
presence)  one  is  lost  in  wonder  at  the  accom- 
plishments of  these  early  people.  Pantheons 
and  palaces,  temples  and  towers,  a  hundred  or 
more,  (though  an  infinitesimal  fraction  of  the 
whole)  have  been  discovered  and  explored,  the 
largest  about  three  hundred  feet  square,  all  of 
them  constructed  of  the  hardest  stone  and  of 
blocks  of  such  dimensions  as  to  tax  to  its  utter- 
most the  capacity  of  our  most  modern  appli- 
ances of  to-day  for  handling,  the  quarries  from 
which  they  were  taken  certainly  not  being  with- 
in any  reasonable  distance,  each  stone  cut  and 
laid  in  the  most  workmanlike  manner,  and  the 
whole  covered  with  carvings  of  bird  and  beast 
and  man,  interspersed  with  acres  of  hiero- 
glyphics which  yet  await  deciphering;  all  this 
with  the  lack  of  conveniences,  which  must  then 
have  existed,  and  the  mind  is  lost  in  calculation 
of  the  time  and  toil,  patience  and  perseverance 
that  here  alone  present  their  evidence.  Uxmal 
and  Chichen  in  Yucatan  seem  next  in  impor- 
tance so  far  as  discovered,  the  former  being 
especially  rich  in  monstrous  and  highly  adorned 
structures.  Labna,  Kahbah,  Nohpat  and  May- 
apan  are  still  other  notable  examples. 

Awakening  from  the  reverie,  and  abandon- 
ing the  vain  struggle  for  further  information 
concerning  this  ancient  life,  let  us  return  to  the 


426  REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS. 

present  capital,  about  which  clusters  all  of  to- 
day in  this  land  of  the  Aztec,  the  Toltec,  and, 
earlier  still,  that  apparently  superior  race  for 
which  we  have  no  name. 

Where  today  stands  the  City  of  Mexico 
with  a  population  of  five  hundred  thousand  peo- 
ple, there  existed  for  two  hundred  years  prior 
to  the  conquest  an  even  greater  city,  Tenochtitr 
Ian,  the  capital  of  the  Aztecs;  which  together 
with  the  long  train  of  other  features  of  an- 
tiquity in  and  about,  coupled  with  its  climate 
and  its  multitude  of  present-day  charms,  render 
Mexico  to  the  visitor  the  most  interesting  and 
agreeable  metropolis  of  all  in  the  Americas, 
north  of  the  equator  at  least. 

The  Mexicans  are  a  music  loving  people,  and 
no  town  of  any  magnitude  can  be  found 
throughout  the  republic  whose  plaza  does  not  con- 
tain a  band  stand,  and  such  band  stands !  ISTot 
the  clumsy  affair  with  hideous  lines  which  pre- 
vails in  the  United  States,  but  a  light,  airy, 
graceful,  tastefully-decorated  structure  in  orna- 
mental iron  work.  Nor  do  the  military  bands 
of  which  there  are  one  or  more  in  every  town 
of  any  importance  (for  Mexico  is  a  somewhat 
military  nation),  and  who  like  all  such  are  the 
servants  of  and  supported  by  the  people  at  large, 
require  to  be  paid  extra,  or  assume  the  attitude 
of  conveying  some  especial  favor  upon  the  peo- 
ple who  support  them,  but  are  compelled  to  play 
regularly  from  the  band  stands  of  the  public 
squares,  and  other  points  until  the  land  is  filled 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  427 

with  music  and  the  cares  of  life  dispelled;  of 
this  and  of  all  else  that  elevates  and  ennobles, 
the  City  of  Mexico  is  the  seat  not  only  for 
Mexico,  but  in  fact  for  the  Western  hemisphere. 
Here  has  been  gathered  in  art  a  portion  of  all 
that  excels  in  the  so-called  old  world;  Titians, 
Raphaels,  Murillos,  Correas ,  Cortonas,  Van 
Dycks,  Rubens  and  Leonardo  diVinces,  together 
with  the  works  of  other  masters  too  numerous  to 
mention,  are  found  in  places  open  to  all.  The 
equestrian  statue  of  Charles  the  Fourth  stand- 
ing at  the  city's  entrance  to  the  Paseo,  was  mod- 
eled by  a  native  artist  and  cast  by  native  work- 
men in  1802.  It  still  remains  the  largest  single 
piece  of  bronze  in  the  world,  horse  and  rider 
being  in  one  piece.  Humboldt  declared  it  also 
the  finest  example  of  its  kind  in  existence,  save 
that  of  Marcus  Aurelius  in  Rome.  The  statues 
of  Columbus  and  of  Guatimotzin  occupying  re- 
spective glorietas  in  the  Paseo  rank  high  in  the 
world  of  art,  while  the  monument  to  Juarez 
(a  Grecian  temple,  within  which  rests  a  figure 
of  the  noble  Indian  president,  his  head  sup- 
ported by  a  goddess-like  figure  of  Mexico,  the 
whole  in  the  whitest  marble)  appeals  to  the 
writer  as  the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  piece 
of  sculpture  he  has  yet  seen,  while  amongst  the 
ablest  critics  it  has  long  been  conceded  that 
this  is  one  of  the  choicest  the  world  possesses. 

Here  again  the  newspaper  of  the  new  world 
had  its  birth;  a  printing  press  being  set  up  in 


428  EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS. 

1535  for  the  publication  of  a  paper  called  the 
"Gaoeta." 

Here,  also,  we  find  established  but  sixteen 
years  subsequent  to  the  Gaceta  the  first  uni- 
versity of  the  continent. 

Both  the  newspaper  and  the  university,  how- 
ever, were  strictly  curtailed  in  their  usefulness, 
and  contributed  little  toward  the  general  uplift- 
ing and  betterment  of  the  masses. 

Tenochtitlan,  upon  the  arrival  of  Cortez, 
contained  from  50,000  to  60,000  buildings  of 
all  sorts,  and  a  probable  population  of  over 
500,000  people ;  while  Mexico,  the  city  of  today, 
is  closely  approaching  this  magnitude. 

Like  all  cities  of  the  nation,  the  number  and 
splendor  of  its  churches  forcibly  impress  one; 
for  the  century  succeeding  the  conquest  was  a 
period  of  the  most  beautiful  work  along  these 
lines,  borrowing  and  grouping  here  the  gem 
features  of  church  architecture  from  throughout 
the  entire  old  world  and  adding  to  it  much  of 
the  native  Indian  idea,  especially  in  carving 
and  other  ornamentation,  and  with  cheap,  yet 
skillful,  labor  of  the  natives,  together  with  the 
untold  and  rapidly  developing  wealth  in  gold 
and  silver  of  this  new  possession  to  warrant  it, 
the  government  gave  free  reign  in  church  con- 
struction to  the  end  that  the  land  is  studded, 
even  throughout  the  wildest  and  most  inacces- 
sible portions,  with  works  of  this  kind,  of  endur- 
ing construction  and  matchless  beauty. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  429 

Here  in  the  City  of  Mexico  alone  are  125 
•churches,  the  beautiful  form  and  detail  of  whose 
facades,  together  with  that  of  the  towers  and 
domes  above,  tinged  with  the  exquisite  colorings 
of  age,  render  each  an  example  whose  descrip- 
tion other  than  vague  and  unworthy  must  flow 
from  the  tongue  or  pen  of  a  skilled  and 
eloquent  artist.  Of  all  these  churches  which 
surround  it,  and  in  fact  of  all  that  now 
exist  upon  the  American  continent,  the  great 
cathedral,  in  point  of  size,  grandeur  and 
wealth  of  interior  decoration  and  fittings, 
stands  pre  -  eminently  alone.  With  a  depth 
of  426  feet,  a  frontage  of  203  feet,  its  pon- 
derous, yet  graceful,  dome  rising  from  the 
center  of  the  rear  half,  and  its  two  great  towers 
each  reaching  upward  to  a  height  of  206  feet, 
render  inquiry  on  the  part  of  the  visitor  to 
Mexico  as  to  its  whereabouts  quite  unnecessary. 
Added  to  this  already  huge  structure,  and  now 
forming  a  part  of  the  same,  is  the  "Sagrario," 
which,  with  the  little  chapel  of  "La  Capilla  de 
la  Soledad,"  gives  to  the  grand  pile  a  total 
frontage  of  about  400  feet  The  walls,  roof 
and  towers  alone  of  the  Cathedral  proper  cost 
over  two  millions  of  dollars,  and  this  with  prac- 
tically slave  labor  representing  but  little  more 
than  one-tenth  of  the  cost  to-day.  Its  corner- 
stone was  laid  in  1573  and  its  complete  con- 
struction occupied  a  period  of  219  years.  The 
greater  outlay  by  far  upon  this  edifice  was  its* 
interior  adornment,  altars,  figures,  etc.  Within 


430  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

this  vast  and  magnificent  enclosure  are  five 
naves,  six  altars,  and  fourteen  chapels.  At  the 
northern  extremity  and  facing  the  main  en- 
trance rests  the  high  altar,  a  towering  mass  of 
ornate  carving  covered  with  gold,  the  lower  por- 
tion a  system  of  panels  each  filled  with  a  paint- 
ing by  the  hand  of  one  of  the  old  masters,  the 
whole,  rising  to  the  very  arches  of  the  roof, 
forming  what  was  long  regarded  as  the  richest 
altar  in  the  world,  for  then,  like  other  portions 
of  this  gorgeous  temple,  it  was  lavishly  arrayed 
in  statues,  crosses,  chalices,  censers  and  candle 
sticks  of  solid  gold,  set  with  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones,  many  of  these  pieces  being  too 
heavy  for  one  man  to  lift ;  one,  the  statue  of  the 
assumption,  was  alone  valued  at  over  a  million 
of  dollars.  But,  the  bitter  revolution  ended  and 
independence  attained,  the  church  having 
throughout  aided  Spain  and  antagonized  the 
revolutionists,  now  found  themselves  in  a  most 
embarrassing  position;  though  enormously 
wealthy  and  owning  as  they  did  more  than  half 
of  all  the  property  of  Mexico,  and  holding  the 
same  free  from  taxation,  while  the  new  gov- 
ernment found  itself  bankrupt.  But  though  the 
church  had  the  wealth,  the  government  had  the 
power,  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  sequestration 
of  church  property,  and  the  massive  images  and 
ornaments  of  gold,  together  with  tons  of  bap- 
tismal fonts  and  chancel  railings  of  gold  and 
silver  combined,  went  into  the  melting  pot  from 
these  storehouses  of  wealth  all  over  the  land. 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  431 

To  give  the  reader  a  clearer  idea  of  the  enormous 
wealth  other  than  apparent  that  exists  even  yet 
in  these  temples  of  holy  faith,  it  may  be  related 
that  in  recent  years  a  leading  concern,  engaged  in 
the  reduction  of  gold  and  silver  ores,  offered  for 
the  chancel  railing  of  one  of  the  churches  of 
the  republic,  to  replace  the  same  in  identical 
form  in  sterling  silver  and  pay  one  million  dol- 
lars in  exchange;  the  present  silver  railing  con- 
taining enough  gold  that  this  transaction  might 
be  engaged  in  at  a  profit. 

The  great  cathedral  though  the  largest, 
grandest  and  most  gorgeous  church  edifice  in  the 
western  hemisphere  to-day,  is  but  a  skeleton 
of  its  former  self  through  this  process  of  seques- 
tration, to  which  the  present  heretical  govern- 
ment has  added  the  further  indignity  that  outr 
side  the  church  walls  no  priest  shall  wear  his 
robes. 

In  the  Sagrario,  which  opens  into  and  forms 
a  part  of  the  great  cathedral  pile,  are  thirteen 
altars,  making  nineteen  in  all.  The  entire  front 
of  the  Sagrario  is  an  intricate  mass  of  ornate 
carving  and  is  in  striking  contrast  to  that  of  the 
cathedral  proper. 

But  there  are  other  things  of  interest  and 
great  good  in  this  most  charming  of  cities,  also 
much  of  interest  in  the  struggle  for  independ- 
ence that  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  the 
United  States;  amongst  the  rest  a  liberty  bell. 
For  at  midnight  on  the  15th  of  September  in 
the  year  1810  the  patriot  priest  Hidalgo  startled 


432  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

from  their  slumbers  the  people  'round  about  by 
violently  ringing  the  bell  in  the  tower  of  his 
little  church  at  Dolores.  They  gathered  to  listen 
to  his  eloquent  appeal  for  liberty  as  it  rang  out 
on  the  midnight  air,  and  gathering  such  weap- 
ons as  they  could  find,  formed  then  and  there 
the  nucleus  of  a  mighty  host  that  quickly  fol- 
lowed. Eighty-six  years  to  a  day  following 
this  event  the  writer  happened  to  be  in  the  City 
of  Mexico,  when  this  old  Tocsin  of  terror  to  the 
tyrant  of  long  before  was  brought  from  its  home 
and  mounted  amidst  great  pomp  and  ceremony, 
over  the  central  gate  to  the  palace.  When  all 
was  ready,  and  as  the  first  tone  sounded,  a  thou- 
sand or  more  carrier  pigeons,  gathered  from  all 
the  country  'round  about  and  garlanded  with 
streamers  in  the  tri-colors  of  Mexico  fastened 
about  their  necks,  were  suddenly  liberated  from 
confinement  beneath  the  bell,  and  soaring  up- 
ward in  a  great  cloud  departed  to  all  points  of 
the  compass,  bearing  to  the  oppressed  every- 
where the  glad  tidings  of  liberty. 

More  and  better  libraries  are  hard  to  find 
anywhere;  the  national  library,  occupying  the 
old  church  of  San  Augustin,  contains  more  than 
half  a  million  volumes;  amongst  which  are  to 
be  found  a  greater  number  of  rare  and  valuable 
works  than  in  all  other  libraries  of  North  Amer- 
ica combined. 

The  National  Museum,  already  extensive, 
is  rapidly  growing,  and  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting in  the  world. 


REMINISCENT    RAM  BEINGS.  433 

The  School  of  Mines  is  a  superb  institution 
of  learning,  and  the  building  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  to  be  found  anywhere. 

The  School  of  Fine  Arts,  The  College  of  San 
Ygnacio  Loyola,  the  School  of  Agriculture,  that 
of  Medicine  and  other  too  numerous  to  mention, 
are  all  important  and  rapidly  growing  institu- 
tions, while  hospitals  and  asylums  are  abundant. 

No  finer  system  of  street  and  suburban  rail- 
ways, street  pavement  and  other  municipal  im- 
provements exist  in  any  city  in  the  world.  "No 
lovelier  parks  and  public  squares,  no  boulevard 
so  grand  as  the  Paseo  de  la  Raforma,  and  no 
residence  of  the  ruler  of  any  other  nation  so 
beautiful  and  poetic  as  the  Castle  of  Chapulte- 
pec,  from  which,  perched  upon  the  summit  of 
the  ancient  "Hill  of  the  Grasshoppers,"  one 
looks  for  three  miles  down  and  along  the  broad 
paseo  thronged  with  life  and  gaiety,  on  through 
the  city,  out  across  the  silvery  lakes  with  their 
surrounding  fields  and  forests  green,  and  away 
beyond  at  those  great  silent,  towering,  snow- 
capped volcanic  peaks,  which  rising  majestically 
to  an  elevation  of  two  miles  above  the  plain  of 
Anahuac,  blend  almost  indefinably  their  sil- 
vered summits  with  the  soft  pale  blue  of  a  south- 
ern summer  sky ;  and,  wrapped  in  admiration  of 
the  scene,  we  are  further  lost  in  wonder  dense, 
that  here  in  all  time  past  could  have  reigned 
aught  else  than  peace,  contentment  and  good 
will. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Out  across  the  plain  to  the  northeast,  but  a 
few  miles  distant  from  the  outskirts  of  the  City 
of  Mexico,  and  nestled  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of 
rocky  hills,  rests  the  little  hamlet  of  Guadalupa, 
and  the  holiest  shrine  in  all  the  Catholic  world. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  in  the 
year  1531,  that  a  young  native  Indian,  an  early 
convert  and  devout  follower  of  the  Catholic 
faith,  in  wending  his  way  to  a  little  nearby  mis- 
sion church,  took  the  trail  of  a  short  route  which 
led  along  the  face  of  one  of  these  rocky  hills. 
Suddenly  he  heard  the  sound  of  music  and  sing- 
ing, and  looking  up,  there  amongst  the  rocks  and 
cactus  on  the  hillside,  stood  a  beautiful  lady, 
about  whose  form  was  gathered  a  halo  of  light, 
and  who  beckoned  him  toward  her.  Paralyzed 
with  fright,  the  poor  Indian  approached,  when 
she  bade  him  have  no  fear,  but  go  on  an  errand 
for  her  at  once  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  where 
dwelt  Bishop  Don  Juan  Zumarraga,  the  first 
Archbishop  of  Mexico,  and  soon  thereafter  ap- 
pointed, and  say  to  him  for  her  that  it  was  her 
request  that  a  temple  at  once  be  built  in  her  hon- 
or and  upon  the  spot  where  she  then  stood.  Then 
she  vanished,  and  Juan  trotted  tremblingly  away 
toward  the  city  on  his  uncanny  errand.  The 
Bishop  listened  to  his  strange  tale  and  sent  him 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  435 

away  without  further  discussion.  Returning, 
she  sent  him  back  the  second  and  even  the  third 
time,  when  the  Bishop,  annoyed  and  uncertain 
how  to  act,  sent  a  spy  to  shadow  his  return,  but 
approaching  the  mountain,  Juan's  form  melted 
into  thin  air,  and  all  trace  of  him  was  lost.  He 
found  the  lady,  however,  awaiting  his  return  at 
the  usual  place,  and  conveyed  to  her  the  Bishop's 
command  that  some  further  evidence  of  a  more 
convincing  nature  than  Juan's  simple  statements 
be  furnished  him.  She  bade  him  go  home  for 
the  present  and  meet  her  again  on  the  following 
day.  Reaching  home  he  found  his  father  ill 
with  fever,  and  in  place  of  returning  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  as  directed,  remained  to  nurse  him. 
Several  days  elapsed,  when  his  father's  condi- 
tion becoming  alarming,  he  hastened  back  to  the 
little  church  whither  he  was  bent  when  first 
meeting  the  strange  lady,  and  through  fear  of 
meeting  her  again,  passed  around  the  hill  on  its 
opposite  side,  but  at  a  given  point  she  again  ap- 
peared to  him.  Falling  upon  his  knees  he  im- 
plored her  to  not  delay  him,  for  that  his  father 
lay  dying  at  his  home  of  fever,  and  that  all  haste 
must  be  made  for  the  priest  that  he  might  die 
confessed.  Then  she  bade  him  have  no  fear,  that 
his  father  was  already  cured  and  well,  and  smil> 
ing  the  rocks  upon  which  she  stood,  lo  there 
sprang  up  a  forest  of  rose  bushes  laden  with 
beautiful  roses,  moist  with  dew. 

These  Indians  of  the  poorer  and  laboring 
class  to  this  day  wear  suspended  from  the  neck 


436  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

a  leathern  apron  of  rather  large  dimensions, 
called  a  "tilma."  Juan  wore  one  of  these,  and 
the  strange  lady  ordered  him  to  pluck  and  fill 
his  apron  with  these  flowers  of  sudden  growth 
and  take  them  to  the  Bishop  as  an  evidence  of 
her  divine  being.  Then  to  further  impress  her 
already  dumfounded  messenger,  and  hasten  his 
footsteps,  she  again  smote  the  ground  near 
where  she  had  been  standing,  when  suddenly 
there  burst  forth  a  stream  of  clear,  cold  water. 
And  where  to-day  inside  a  beautiful  chapel 
which  has  been  erected  over  it,  the  weary  pil- 
grims quench  their  thirst.  Reaching  the  Bishop, 
Juan  loosed  his  hold  upon  the  apron  and  dumped 
the  mass  of  roses  at  his  feet,  when  lo  and  behold, 
upon  the  exposed  face  of  the  tilma  where  the 
roses  had  rested,  appeared  a  most  beautiful  im- 
age of  the  Virgin. 

The  Bishop  at  once  took  possession  of  the 
tilma  and  Juan  hastened  home  to  find  that  his 
father  had  been  suddenly  restored  to  health  and 
strength  upon  the  very  hour  that  the  wonderful 
apparition  had  assured  him  of  his  recovery.  A 
chapel  was  at  once  erected  upon  the  spot  from 
which  the  roses  were  plucked,  the  now  sacred 
tilma  with  the  image  thereon  was  placed  with- 
in, and  Juan  and  his  father  established  as  guar- 
dians and  caretakers  to  the  end  of  life. 

Though  from  the  first  all  Mexico  devoutly 
believed  in  this  miraculous  event  and  worshipped 
at  this  shrine,  two  hundred  and  twenty-three 
years  elapsed  ere  the  Pope  at  Rome  gave  official 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  437 

recognition  to  it  through  the  Papal  Bull  of  Ben- 
edict XIV,  and  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupa  was 
proclaimed  Protectress  and  Patroness  of  all  New 
Spain. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  December,  1531,  that 
occurred  the  last  meeting  between  Juan  Diego 
and  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupa  in  which  she  sent 
him  on  his  mission  laden  with  flowers,  and  the 
people  of  Mexico  had  they  been  privileged  to 
govern  themselves,  would  without  doubt  immedi- 
ately have  given  the  day  official  recognition,  but 
not  acquiring  this  righteous  privilege  for  nearly 
300  years  following,  they  were  delayed  until  the 
29th  day  of  November,  1824,  when  the  very  first 
Congress  that  met  of  these  now  independent  peo- 
ple, made  the  12th  of  December  a  national  holy 
day,  which  still  remains  probably  the  most  sa- 
cred of  all  Mexican  holy  days. 

The  little  chapel  built  by  Bishop  Zumarraga 
in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  still  stands  upon  the  face 
of  the  rocky  hill?  while  at  its  base  now  towers  a 
magnificent  pile,  the  church  of  Guadalupa,  with- 
in which,  upon  the  high  altar  (an  imposing  mass 
exquisitely  wrought  from  the  whitest  marble) 
rests  the  sacred  tilma,  beneath  a  sheet  of  plate 
glass  and  bordered  by  a  priceless  frame.  On 
one  side  of  the  altar  is  the  figure  of  Bishop  Zu- 
marraga, and  on  the  other  that  of  Juan  Diego, 
the  whole  enclosed  by  an  ornate  railing  of  ster- 
ling silver  weighing  twenty-six  tons. 

The  12th  of  October,  1895,  witnessed  a 
gathering  and  ceremony  over  this  sacred  emblem 


438  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

that  has  probably  never  been  outdone  in  the 
world  of  Catholic  faith.  On  this  date  the  image 
upon  the  tilma  was  crowned  with  a  crown  of 
gold  bedecked  with  precious  stones,  costing  more 
than  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Thirty 
thousand  dollars  being  paid  to  a  French  firm  of 
jewelers  for  the  work  alone. 

The  scene  of  this  coronation  cannot  be  fitly 
described;  there  gathered  here  upon  this  occa- 
sion representatives  of  the  church  and  followers 
of  the  faith  from  every  land  on  earth  in  which 
the  Catholic  form  of  worship  exists. 

The  railway  lines  entering  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico were  taxed  to  their  fullest  capacity  in  hand- 
ling the  visiting  crowds,  while  from  every 
quarter  of  Mexico,  over  mountain  ranges, 
through  the  vales  and  across  the  desert  wastes 
streamed  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands, 
on  foot  and  with  beasts  of  burden,  pressing  fa- 
natically onward  toward  this  Mexican  mecca, 
until  the  great  plain  of  Anahuac,  as  viewed  from 
the  hill  of  Guadalupa,  appeared,  so  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  a  limitless  sea  of  mixed  human- 
ity and  dust  by  day,  and  at  night,  through  the 
myriad  of  camp  fires,  a  vast  mirror  which,  con- 
cealed by  the  darkness  that  covered  the  earth, 
reflected  only  the  bright  and  innumerable  lights 
of  the  firmament  above. 

When  all  was  ready  and  the  hour  of  the  cor- 
onation arrived,  there  rose  up  from  the  plain 
below,  filling  the  great  depression  and  reverber- 
ating from  the  fastnesses  of  its  towering,  rocky 


EEMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  439 

rim  even  unto  the  remotest  parts  thereof,  such 
sounds  as  had  never  yet  been  heard.  Bells 
rang  forth  and  cannon  roared  from  far  and  near, 
while  shouts  of  prayers  and  songs  of  praise  burst 
from  the  lips  of  millions  of  assembled  devotees. 

Much  discussion  has  arisen  and  occasional 
criticism  has  been  engaged  in,  even  on  the  part 
of  priests  of  the  church,  relative  to  the  truth 
of  this  miraculous  event,  in  consequence  of 
which,  near  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
the  church  consented  to  an  expert  examination 
of  the  sacred  emblem,  when  a  committee  of  high 
standing  being  agreed  upon,  consisting  of  three 
chemists  and  three  artists,  each  of  renown  in 
their  calling,  and  unfettered  in  their  religious 
beliefs  were  permitted  to  remove  the  tilma  from 
its  encasement  and  examine  the  same  in  the  most 
scientific  and  painstaking  manner.  Their  full 
agreement  and  final  decision  was  that  the  color- 
ing matter  was  a  pigment  unknown  to  them; 
that  it  was  not  a  painting  of  any  kind ;  and  that 
its  production  was  by  no  method  known  to  art. 
This  has  ever  since,  to  a  great  degree,  silenced 
the  voice  of  the  skeptic  everywhere,  for  now  that 
it  has  passed  through  and  withstood  the  severest 
test  of  finite  power,  by  whom  and  through  what 
remaining  evidence  can  the  claim  of  miraculous 
and  divine  origin  be  overthrown? 

At  this  writing  nearly  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  years  have  elapsed  since  Juan  Diego, 
letting  loose  the  folds  of  his  plain  garment, 
and  showering  the  roses  contained  therein  at  the 


440  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

bishop's  feet,  this  strange  and  yet  unaccounted- 
for  image  appeared  upon  its  surface,  During  all 
these  centuries  it  has  been  guarded  zealously, 
and  never,  day  or  night,  for  the  minutest  space 
of  time,  has  it  been  beyond  the  reach  of  worship- 
ing and  watchful  eyes.  To-day  not  only  the 
tilma  remains  intact,  unblemished,  unimpaired 
and  free  from  the  finger  of  decay,  but  the 
mysterious  image  upon  its  face  grows  seemingly 
stronger  in  its  lines  and  brighter  and  more  beau- 
tiful in  its  coloring  as  the  centuries  fade  away. 
It  has  long  since  passed  boyond  the  pale  and 
possibility  of  proof  that  its  alleged  origin  is  a 
myth,  and  will  ever  remain  the  holiest  of  all  the 
holy  shrines  of  Mexico. 

Far  away  over  the  mountain  ranges  to  the 
west,  situate  in  the  state  of  Jalisco  and  not  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  from  the  Pacific  coast 
is  the  little  town  of  Talpa.  Some  fifteen  miles 
northerly  therefrom  lies  the  neighboring  town 
Mascota. 

Occupying  a  niche  in  the  church  at  Talpa 
was  a  figure  of  the  Virgin  about  three  feet  in 
height.  Many  years  ago  (the  figure,  having 
then,  through  age,  become  bedimmed  and  soiled) 
the  priest  ordered  it  removed  for  repairs  and 
redecoration,  when  a  servant  of  the  church,  an 
aged  woman,  who  for  years  had  scrubbed  and 
swept  and  dusted  therein,  pausing  from  toil  at 
frequent  intervals  to  worship  this  blessed  image, 
indulged  in  lamentations  so  loud  at  the  disturb- 


REMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  441 

ance  of  her  divine  idol  associate  of  so  many 
years  that  it  was  permitted  to  remain  until  the 
following  day.  All  night  long  she  knelt  before  it 
in  anguish  and  darkness,  and  lo,  when  the  morn- 
ing light  streamed  through  the  windows  above, 
its  rays  fell  upon  and  lighted  up  the  decorations 
of  the  shabby  lady  of  the  previous  day.  It  was 
and  yet  remains  a  work  of  art  beyond  the  power 
of  any  artist  to  execute  in  a  single  night.  The 
miracle  spread  like  wildfire  throughout  the  land, 
and  soon,  upon  the  occasion  of  some  important 
church  event  to  be  held  at  Masco ta  (the  neigh- 
boring town  referred  to),  the  holy  image  in  its 
miraculous  garb  was  taken  thither  and  placed  in 
the  church  at  that  place  to  remain  a  guest  of 
the  occasion.  During  the  night  following  its 
arrival  an  earthquake  shook  the  land,  the  tower 
of  the  church  crumbled  and  fell,  and,  as  related, 
the  discontented  virgin,  climbing  down  from  her 
place  of  deposit  in  the  church  at  Mascota,  walked 
back  the  fifteen  miles,  climbed  up  into  her  accus- 
tomed niche  in  the  church  at  Talpa  where  she 
was  found  the  following  morning,  and  where 
she  has  ever  since  remained. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  March  of 
a  recent  year,  the  writer,  journeying  with  pack 
and  saddle  animals  from  Ameca,  the  railway 
terminus,  to  a  point  far  away  into  the  wilds  of 
the  western  coast,  passed  for  many  miles  over  the 
trail  that  led  to  Talpa.  It  was  the  month  in 
which  occurred  the  annual  pilgrimage  of  dev- 


4:42  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

otees  to  this  holy  shrine,  which  is  more  than 
eighty  miles  by  bridle  path  over  rough  and  arid 
waste  from  Ameca,  a  town  of  twelve  thousand 
people.  No  great  distance  had  been  covered  in 
our  journey  when  these  returning  pilgrims  were 
encountered.  Men,  women  and  children,  the 
greater  portion  on  foot  bearing  upon  their  backs 
the  burden  of  food  and  blankets  necessary  for 
the  trip ;  others  on  foot,  but  driving  before  them 
beasts  of  burden ;  still  others  of  higher  stations 
in  life  who  rode  some  animal — a  burro  or  a 
horse.  All  day  long  streamed  homeward  this 
motley  throng  of  weary,  foot  sore,  yet  devoted 
pilgrims.  Bordering  the  Ameca  river  on  the 
west  stretches  a  rugged,  precipitous  range  of 
mountains  over  which  our  trail  led.  All  of 
the  way  down  its  eastern  slope  had  poured  a 
never-ending  stream  of  beings  of  varied  con- 
ditions and  interesting  accoutrements  for  the 
journey,  each  bespeaking,  in  some  degree,  the 
blind,  unwavering  faith  they  followed.  Toil- 
ing upward  and  near  the  summit,  at  a  point 
where  the  trail  turned  in  its  zigzag  course,  there 
confronted  us  a  comely  maiden,  leading  gently 
by  the  hand,  along  the  rocky,  thorny,  precipitous 
pathway,  an  aged  and  totally  blind  father.  This 
was  indeed  the  limit  of  all  our  observations  and 
impressions  of  faith,  devotion,  and  sacred  belief. 
For,  whatever  may  have  been  our  own  impres- 
sions regarding  the  truth  of  all  this,  such  an 
example  of  acceptance,  devotion  and  martyrdom 
could  not  but  appeal  to  the  loving  loyalty  of  any 


BEMHaSCENT    KAMBLINGS.  443 

mind,  for  when  a  child  lovingly,  tenderly  and 
uncomplaining  leads  its  aged  and  blind  parent, 
each  with  naked  feet,  over  a  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  or  more  of  burning  sand  and  broken  rock, 
toiling  through  the  thorny  intricacies  of  moun- 
tain fastnesses,  fording  deep  and  swift  running 
streams,  subsisting  upon  the  coarsest  fare  and 
that  in  sparing  quantities,  when  they  shall  have 
done  all  this  in  their  love  and  devotion  of  any 
cause,  be  its  tale  truthful  or  otherwise,  surely 
they  should  not  pass  on  forever  unheeded  and 
unrewarded  by  the  ruler  thereof,  be  he  finite  or 
infinite.  _._ 

At  the  hacienda  of  Senora  Hernandez  that 
night,  was  gathered  a  motley  throng.  The  ranch 
was  a  camping  place  about  midway  on  the  trail 
between  Ameca  and  Talpa;  a  sinuous  stream 
crossed  the  trail  here  at  the  foot  of  the  little 
rise  of  ground  upon  which  the  senora's  house 
stood.  The  house  was  an  adobe  after  the  Mex- 
ican style,  long,  rambling  and  low;  the  latticed 
doors  of  the  windowless  rooms  opened  upon  a 
broad  porch,  the  floor  of  which  was  covered  with 
red  earthen  tile,  and  which  extended  from  end 
to  end  of  the  building.  Senora  Hernandez  was 
a  large,  fine-looking  woman  past  fifty  years  of 
age,  her  heavy  tresses  of  dark  hair  tinged  with 
gray ;  the  strong  lines  of  her  face  giving  an  im- 
pression of  sternness  and  severity  that  was  soon 
dispelled  by  the  soft  notes  of  the  Spanish 
tongue  as  it  flowed  melodiously  from  her  lips, 


444 


BEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 


while  tlie  strong  features  she  possessed  kindled 
into  the  light  of  sympathy,  kindness  and  good 
will. 

Her  blood  was  the  mixture  in  about  equal 
parts  of  the  native  Indian  race  with  that  of  the 


And  the  Senora  crossed  herself  reverently  at  each  mention  of  the  Virgin  of  Talpa. 

conquering  Castilian.  Being  born  and  reared 
here,  she  had  witnessed  many  gatherings  like 
that  of  this  night  with  throngs  of  her  race  rest- 
ing from  their  pilgrimage  gathered  about  their 
diminutive  camp  fires  without,  together  with 
wandering  heretical  guests  of"  foreign  birth 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  445 

within,  and  she  trod  the  red  earthen  tiles  of  the 
long  porch  majestically,  now  dispatching  a  Mozo 
to  some  point  in  attendance  upon  the  stock,  then 
directing  the  dressing  of  two  chickens  being  pre- 
pared for  our  evening  meal,  which  arranged, 
she  leaned  over  the  porch  wall  and  interrogating 
a  little  group  of  pilgrims  gathered  below,  rever- 
ently crossed  herself  at  each  mention  of  that 
miraculous  image  of  the  holy  virgin  at  Talpa. 

Late  that  night  we  wandered  about  amidst 
this  weird  scene  of  wayfaring  worshipers,  out 
of  the  bright  light  of  one  camp  fire  through  the 
belt  of  intervening  darkness  and  into  that  of 
another,  watching  here  the  grinding  of  their 
kernels  of  maize  upon  the  stone  "metat"  and 
the  baking  of  the  tortilla  upon  a  bit  of  iron, 
until,  wearied  with  the  never-ending  scene  of 
little  cavalcades  still  arriving,  others  preparing 
and  devouring  their  evening  meal,  with  still 
others  wrapt  in  slumber  for  the  night,  we  too 
retired  to  our  cuarto  in  the  casa  of  the  senora. 

With  a  feeling  of  absolute  safety,  surrounded 
as  we  were  by  this  host  of  devout  followers  of 
the  faith,  and  without  fear  of  intrusion,  save 
perhaps  on  the  part  of  a  prowling  member  of 
the  senora' s  herd  of  numerous  swine,  which 
roamed  at  will  about  the  hacienda,  we  swung 
the  latticed  door  wide  open  and  retired  for  the 
night. 

The  writer  from  his  cot  placed  at  the  far 
end  of  the  room,  could,  through  the  open  door- 
way and  the  darkness  without,  still  plainly  view 


446  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

far  out  across  the  stretch  of  gently  sloping  up- 
land, the  range  o'er  which  we  had  journeyed, 
silhouetted  as  it  was  against  a  moonlit  sky.  He 
had  slumbered  long  when  partially  awakening 
and  unconsciously  opening  the  eyes,  there  ap- 
peared a  line  of  restless  dancing  lights  extending 
far  away  into  the  dark  distance  of  the  mountain 
range  to  the  east,  and  partially  sleeping,  he  in 
dreamy  vision  experienced  again  the  intense  ex- 
citement and  wild  delight  of  that  first  event 
forever  recorded  in  childish  memory  a  "Wide 
awake"  or  "Little  Giant"  parade  away  back  in 
the  days  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  and  in  fancy 
saw  those  wonderful  uniforms  of  cape  and  cap 
in  black  or  yellow,  and  heard  the  stirring  notes 
of  fife  and  drum.  Then  further  awakening,  the 
vision  cleared,  and  arising  and  going  forth  into 
the  open  air  in  an  effort  to  solve  this  strange  and 
striking  night  affair,  saw  extending  from  the 
stream  at  the  foot  of  the  slope  below,  as  large  and 
blazing  lights,  then  far  away  across  the  sloping 
upland  and  even  unto  the  mountain  tops  beyond, 
where  through  distance  they  had  gradually 
grown  smaller  and  dimmer  until  now  but  seem- 
ing fireflies,  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  torches 
borne  by  these  already  departing  pilgrims, 
whereby  to  light  their  way  through  the  intensity 
of  darkness  which  precedes  the  early  dawn.  It 
was  indeed  as  weird  and  impressive  a  spectacle 
as  one  might  witness  on  the  part  of  those  wor- 
shiping hordes  who  for  so  long  and  in  such  vast 
numbers  have  toiled  over  mountain  and  plain 


EEMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  447 

through  the  desert  wastes  of  Arabia.  Watch- 
ing long  this  line  of  march  shrouded  in  dark- 
ness and  marked  only  by  blazing  torches, 
slumber  again  overcame  deep  interest,  and  the 
bright  morning  sun,  standing  high  above  the 
summit  of  the  eastern  range,  now  lit  the  pathway 
of  the  faithful,  when  the  kindly  and  partially 
shrouded  face  of  Senora  Hernandez  peered  in 
at  the  open  doorway,  and  her  soft,  sonorous 
speech  announced  the  fact  that  the  morning  meal 
was  awaiting  at  the  far  and  shaded  end  of  the 
red  tiled  porch  without. 

In  the  drainage  of  the  Rio  Ameca  not  far 
from  the  head  of  the  bay  of  Banderas  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  was  located  a  mine  owned  by 
Americans  and  known  as  El  Carmen ;  the  ex- 
amination of  which  was  in  part  the  object  of  the 
writer's  journey.  One  or  more  of  these  owners 
from  the  far  east  and  near  the  Atlantic  coast, 
all  strangers  to  the  writer,  having  preceded,  were 
to  be  met  upon  the  ground. 

It  was  late  at  night  several  days  subsequent 
to  our  departure  from  the  hospitable  roof  of 
Senora  Hernandez  when  the  weary  pack  and 
saddle  animals  of  our  little  cavalcade  drew  up 
at  the  vine-clad  portales  of  the  hacienda  of 
Senor  Antonio  Escalante,  a  stopping  place  near 
the  mine,  and  where  was  found  smoking  and 
enjoying  the  late  evening  air  of  this  tropical 
climate,  the  visiting  owners  of  El  Carmen,  to- 
gether with  the  genial  host  and  others. 


448  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

Partaking  of  a  hasty  meal,  and  returning 
to  the  party  outside,  we  sat  and  talked  and 
smoked  long  and  late  beneath  the  sheltering 
branches  of  the  tropical  foliage  which  flourished 
in  towering  and  tangled  masses  about  the  place. 

In  one  of  the  owners  of  El  Carmen,  named 
Coleman,  there  was  that  which  appealed  to  the 
writer's  previous  knowledge  and  acquaintance; 
his  form,  movements,  speech  and  manner  were 
all  seemingly  familiar,  but  above  all,  while  the 
balance  of  the  party,  Mexicans  and  Americans, 
smoked,  the  former  cigarettes  and  the  latter  only 
cigars  (and  the  cigars  of  Mexico  are  fine  and 
cheap)  this  individual  clung  tenaciously  to  a 
peculiar  looking  pipe,  and  picked  and  rolled  and 
powdered  the  tobacco  in  the  palm  of  his  hand  in 
an  old  fashioned,  peculiar  and  familiar  way 
before  filling  it,  until  there  no  longer  seemed  any 
possibility  of  this  being  our  first  meeting,  and 
now  followed  a  line  of  conversation  of  an  inquir- 
ing nature  that  soon  developed  the  fact  that  the 
strange  impression  was  well  founded  and  true, 
for  the  man  was  no  other  than  Edward  Coleman., 
who,  as  a  lad,  had  been  the  writer's  companion 
twenty-eight  years  previous  during  the  lengthy 
voyage  and  later  still  upon  the  golden  shores  of 
our  destination. 

Early  the  following  morning  our  little  party 
wended  its  way  upward  and  along  the  winding 
trail  that  led  to  El  Carmen  far  up  in  the  lofty 
hills  to  the  west.  Reaching  the  dump  there 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  449 

awaited  us,  standing  amongst  the  numerous  Mex- 
ican miners  engaged  in  sorting  ore,  a  tall  and 
sunburned  individual,  differing  to  no  great  ex- 
tent in  dress  and  general  appearance  from  the 
lighter  hued  of  the  natives,  and  only  in  the  flu- 
ency with  which  he  spoke  the  English  tongue 
was  the  possibility  of  his  being  other  than  a 
Mexican  noticeable.  He  was  introduced  as  the 
superintendent  in  charge  of  the  property,  and 
though  his  name  at  the  time  escaped  me,  I 
was  from  the  first  impressed  of  a  familiarity 
with  the  man  as  in  the  case  of  Coleman,  which 
as  the  hours  passed  grew  more  forcible  even 
down  deep  in  the  darkness  of  the  mine's  depths, 
when  at  last,  after  a  vain  struggle  to  acquire  it 
and  thus  avoid  the  uncomplimentary  disclosure 
rapidly  becoming  more  so  through  the  lapse  of 
time,  at  once  engaged  in  manifestations  of  ex- 
treme disgust  at  this  sudden  loss  of  pretended 
memory,  and  humbly  and  apologetically  begged 
his  indulgence  and  kindly  assistance  in  enabling 
me  to  recall  his  name. 

"Askew,"  he  replied,  "Walter  E.  Askew; 
and  have  I  not  met  you  before?  Were  we  not 
camp  mates  and  prospectors  together  in  the  Gun- 
nison  country  and  upon  the  lite  Indian  reser- 
vation during  the  summer  of  1879,  now  a 
quarter  of  a  century  since  ?" 

We  were.  And  late  that  night,  and  each 
night  of  our  stay  that  followed,  a  reunited  trio 
sat  beneath  the  vine  and  fig  tree  of  Senor 
Escalante  and  smoked  and  talked  of  those  days 


450  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

of  youth  on  land  and  sea,  and  traced  the  hap- 
penings and  wanderings  of  each  until,  the  mid- 
night hour  at  hand,  Coleman  knocked  the  ashes 
from  the  quaint  old  pipe,  and  polishing  its  bowl 
in  the  palm  of  his  hand  preparatory  to  returning 
it  to  its  case  ( as  he  was  wont  to  do  on  board  the 
Colon  in  days  gone  by)  there  arose  in  the  minds 
of  each  during  the  brief  silence  that  preceded 
the  final  "buenas  noches,"  the  well  founded  im- 
pression that  the  world  was  indeed  small. 

The  engagement  ended  at  El  Carmen,  the 
writer,  with  his  little  outfit,  turned  northward 
and  entered  upon  a  journey  with  pack  and 
saddle  of  twelve  hundred  miles  or  more,  all  of 
the  way  by  trail,  and  over  the  roughest  country 
to  be  found  in  all  Mexico.  Yet,  though  rough 
and  wild  and  free  from  telegraph  and  telephone 
lines,  railways  and  even  wagon  roads,  it  was 
still  a  long-settled  country  and  lacked  that  pris- 
tine charm  so  faultlessly  preserved  by  the 
North  American  Indian  in  the  United  States, 
and  which  in  early  youth  it  had,  for  a  brief  time, 
been  the  writer's  privilege  to  enjoy;  then  the 
great  act  being  near  its  end,  had  watched  the 
busy  and  relentless  hand  of  evolution  shift  the 
scenes,  then  saw  the  curtain  fall  to  hide  its 
charms  forevermore. 

Well  along  the  backbone  of  the  Sierra 
Madres  our  little  outfit  made  its  way,  first  upon 
one  slope,  then  upon  the  other,  wandering  over 
steep  and  precipitous  elevations,  along  the  face 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  451 

of  sheer  and  rocky  declivities,  following  not  the 
"straight  and  narrow  path,"  but  the  sinuous  and 
narrow  trail,  down  deep  into  barrancas  of  inter- 
minable depth,  along  these  and  out  into  the 
broader  valleys  to  which  they  were  tributary, 
when  lo,  the  dream  of  existence  in  limitless  fields 
of  undisturbed  and  unadorned  nature  are  ruth- 
lessly dispelled;  for  here  rests  a  little  village 
midst  vines  and  fruit  trees  with  fields  of  culti- 
vated ground  surrounding  the  whole,  and  now 
during  the  heated  portion  of  the  day,  there  is 
little  in  the  way  of  sound  that  denotes  this  arti- 
ficial adornment  or  the  existence  of  its  people 
save  occasional  peals  of  the  bells  in  the  tower  of 
the  little  mission  church  which  fronts  on  the 
plaza;  for  the  church  and  the  plaza  are  found 
everywhere  in  Mexico,  and  the  tiniest  hamlet 
is  not  without  them,  though  in  the  remotest  por- 
tion of  the  land,  and  even  yet  a  hundred  miles 
or  more  removed  from  a  wagon  road,  and  far 
more  deeply  impressed  are  we  with  the  fanatical 
zeal,  heroic  effort  and  mammoth  magnitude  of 
that  work  that  spread  this  form  of  the  Christian 
faith  into  and  throughout  these  wild  and  most 
forbidding  parts,  when  we  enter  this  compara- 
tively diminutive  sanctuary  here  in  the  distant 
wilds,  than  when  we  tread  beneath  the  grand 
and  lofty  arches  of  that  monstrous  and  magnifi- 
cent structure,  the  Cathedral  of  Mexico,  for  this 
little  church  in  the  wilderness  wherever  it  may 
be  found,  is  seldom  less  than  three  hundred 
years  of  age,  this  alone  bespeaks  the  fact  that  it 


452  EEMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

must  have  been  well  constructed ;  usually  it  is  of 
stone,  and  more  less  of  carved  brackets  and 
moldings  and  tablets  adorn  its  exterior ;  but  why 
those  formidable  buttresses  that  in  nearly  every 
case  support  its  walls  ?  Upon  closer  examina- 
tion we  find  its  roof  is  also  stone,  a  single  great 
arch  that  reaches  from  wall  to  wall,  and  though 
its  radius  of  curvature  is  great  the  centuries 
come  and  go  and  still  no  weakness  manifests  it- 
self throughout.  In  many  cases  these  churches 
of  the  frontier  were  strongholds,  and  adjoining 
them  upon  one  side,  (accessible  only  through 
the  church)  is  an  enclosure  surrounded  by 
masonry  walls  twelve  feet  or  more  in  height, 
which,  at  a  point  some  six  feet  below  the  crest, 
decreases  its  thickness,  leaving  a  shelf  or  path- 
way around  the  entire  enclosed  area,  this  upper 
and  thinner  wall  being  pierced  with  port 
holes  of  prismatic  form,  having  their  smaller 
opening  within.  At  each  angle  of  the  wall 
is  a  circular  tower  from  which  port  holes 
open  in  all  directions;  while  within  the 
church  may  be  found  a  shaft  or  incline  con- 
necting with  a  tunnel  which  leads  well  down 
under  the  bed  of  a  nearby  stream,  insuring  a 
supply  of  water  for  the  besieged.  In  the  interior 
of  these  remote  churches,  scattered  throughout 
thousands  of  miles  of  rugged  mountains  and  well 
within  their  fastnesses,  may  be  found  in  every 
case  more  or  less  of  wealth  in  the  line  of  art 
and  church  ornamentation;  paintings  that  in 
most  cases  bespeak  the  touch  of  a  master  hand, 


BEMINISCENT    KAMBLINGS.  453 

set  in  massive  frames  that  of  themselves  are 
works  of  art.  Altar  fixtures  and  images  of  Christ 
and  the  Virgin,  all  gorgeous  and  without  end. 
And  when  one  considers  the  fact  that  all  of  this 
was  brought  from  the  mother  country  hundreds 
of  years  ago,  and  packed  upon  the  backs  of 
animals  from  the  seaport  of  Vera  Cruz,  far 
away  over  mountain  and  plain  into  the  farther- 
most corners  of  the  land,  the  magnitude  of  the 
work  appeals  to  one  as  of  such  monstrous  pro- 
portions and  beset  by  such  obstacles  that  the 
mind  is  lost  in  wonderment  at  its  final  and 
full  accomplishment. 

We  had  reached  a  point  well  to  the  north 
and  in  the  state  of  Senora,  when,  following  a 
trail  that  led  out  of  the  mountains  down  into 
the  valley  of  the  Moctezuma,  and  to  the  town  of 
Batuco,  the  noon  hour  was  near  at  hand,  and 
casting  about  for  a  suitable  camp,  we  suddenly 
came  upon  an  aged  man  camped  by  the  side  of 
a  trickling  stream  and  beneath  the  sheltering 
branches  of  a  dense  growth  of  dwarfed  trees 
which  grew  upon  its  bank.  The  pack  outfit  with 
which  he  traveled  was  heaped  together  nearby, 
while  two  Mexican  burros  of  large  size,  which 
conveyed  the  whole,  grazed  contentedly  not  far 
away. 

It  was,  upon  the  whole,  an  inviting  spot  in 
which  to  spend  the  heated  portion  of  the  day, 
and  we  too  camped  close  by  the  venerable 
stranger.  He  was  short  but  of  rugged  stature, 


454  REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS. 

his  hair  and  beard  were  tangled  masses  of  gray, 
his  age  evidently  past  three  score  and  ten,  and 
his  skin  sunburned  to  an  extent  that  rendered 
determination  of  his  nationality  uncertain  until, 
replying  to  our  salutations,  his  speech  provided 
conclusive  evidence  that  he  was  an  American, 
still  the  stern  old  patriarch  manifested  no  great 
degree  of  enthusiasm  at  meeting  his  countrymen 
in  even  this  uninhabited,  remote  and  foreign 
spot.  Long  we  tarried  until  the  sun  had  passed 
far  away  from  the  meridian,  and  long  and  in- 
dustriously the  writer  labored  in  the  attempt 
to  draw  from  this  silent  old  sojourner  by  the 
wayside  of  these  Mexican  wilds  the  more  or  less 
interesting  story  of  himself,  which  he  knew  all 
such  to  possess,  for  again  in  this  case  I  was  im- 
pressed even  more  forcibly  than  before  with  a 
vague  recollection  of  this  being,  a  strange  and 
and  undefinable  familiarity  with  him,  his  man- 
ner and  his  accoutrements,  yet  only  the  cloudy 
vision  of  pre-existence  presented  itself  in  ex- 
planation. Finally  rounding  up  the  jacks  and 
saddling  them  he,  without  comment,  prepared  to 
depart.  Reaching  down  amongst  a  tangled  mass 
of  equipment  deposited  upon  the  ground  a  short 
distance  away  he  pulled  therefrom  a  belt  and 
holster  from  which  protruded  an  ancient  cap  and 
ball  "Colts,"  while  a  peculiar  looking  old  knife 
was  fastened  upon  the  opposite  side.  The  scene 
grew  more  familiar.  Then,  leading  up  the  pack 
jack,  he  in  disentangling  the  cargo  preparatory 
to  packing,  disclosed  his  cooking  outfit,  an  old 


REMINISCENT    EAMBLINGS.  455 

bit  of  dirty,  greasy  canvas,  a  fry  pan,  a  little  tin 
lard  bucket  and  a  tomato  can.  Instantly  my 
dreamy  vision  cleared,  and  I  saw  standing  be- 
fore me  the  eccentric  prospector  who,  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  before,  had,  with  the  little 
pack  mule  and  the  pinto  saddle  pony  near  night- 
fall trotted  down  out  of  the  breaks,  and  estab- 
lished camp  near  that  of  the  Hayden  survey  on 
Torrey's  Fork  in  Wyoming,  and  who,  the  fol- 
lowing summer  had  kidnapped  me  at  Gothic  on 
the  north  fork  of  the  Gunnison  river  in  Colorado 
for  a  night's  entertainment  in  open  camp  and 
pouring  rainfall  upon  the  river's  bank  below. 
And  this  was  the  same  old  "Colts"  that  in  his 
drunken  stupor  I  had  gently  lifted  from  its 
holster  and  deposited  in  the  nearby  shallow  pool 
for  safety  as  I  crawled  away  through  the  wet 
grass  and  willows  in  escaping  from  my  stren- 
uous, yet  overindulgent  host. 

But  where  was  the  little  mule  and  pinto 
whom  I  remembered  so  well,  and  which  alone 
remained  to  complete  the  scene?  And  again 
I  recalled  the  fact  that  twenty-five  years  had 
passed  since  then. 

But  a  short  distance  had  been  covered  in 
leaving  Batuco  the  following  morning  when  the 
writer  was  taken  suddenly  ill.  Clinging  to  the 
saddle  horn  in  sheer  desperation  during  the  en- 
tire day  we  plodded  onward  beneath  a  broiling 
sun  until  after  nightfall  we  had  reached  the 
little  hamlet  of  Matope,  some  forty  miles  dis- 


456  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

tant.  At  the  foot  of  the  thicket-clad  bluffs  upon 
which  the  little  town  rested,  coursed  a  tiny 
stream  of  clear  water,  while  the  balance  of  the 
wide  drain  was  a  bed  of  dry  sand,  upon  which, 
(our  outfit  halting  for  the  night)  the  writer  fell 
from  the  saddle  insensible. 

It  was  midnight  when,  awakening  with  pain 
and  distress,  I  found  myself  lying  in  the  bright 
moonlight  upon  a  cot  where  the  attending  Mozos 
had  placed  me.  And  now,  while  I  rolled  about  in 
the  sand  groaning  with  pain,  they  arose  and 
stood  over  me,  powerless  to  render  any  assist- 
ance, when,  just  as  the  first  gray  light  of  morn- 
ing dawned,  the  sound  of  merry  voices  upon  the 
village  bluffs  above  broke  in  upon  the  wailings 
of  distress  below,  and  looking  upward,  there 
appeared  passing  in  single  file  down  and  along 
the  face  of  the  declivity,  nine  graceful  and  state- 
ly maidens,  the  stateliness  of  whom  was  en- 
hanced through  the  poising  of  a  large  "olla," 
or  earthen  water  jar  which  each,  untouched  by 
hands  balanced  upon  her  head.  At  intervals 
the  line  paused,  and  ceasing  from  their  mirth, 
stared  curiously  at  the  writhing,  howling,  un- 
kempt individual  over  in  the  dry  sands  of  the 
drain,  then,  venturing  downward  to  the  stream, 
they  knelt  upon  its  bank,  and  dipping  the  water 
from  the  shallow  brooklet  until  their  jars  were 
filled,  arose  and  huddling  together  with  fre- 
quent inquiring  glances,  engaged  in  a  low-toned 
and  final  discussion  of  the  strange  scene,  then 
raising  the  vessels  of  water  to  their  heads,  re- 


REMINISCENT    BAMBLINGS.  457 

sumed  their  dignified  and  stately  march  up  the 
narrow  path  by  which  they  had  descended,  final- 
ly disappearing  over  the  edge  of  the  escarpment 
en  route  to  the  village  and  their  respective  homes. 
It  was  a  wierd,  poetic  and  impressive  parade, 
and  a  faithful  reproduction  in  real  life  of  well 
remembered  pictures  in  the  old  family  bible  of 
the  writer. 

But  a  short  time  elapsed  after  the  disap- 
pearance of  this  water  supply  system  when  an 
aged  man  and  woman  of  the  toiling  class  made 
their  appearance  in  the  drain,  and  diagnosing 
the  writer's  ailment,  returned  to  the  village  and 
shortly  reappeared  with  a  gourd  filled  with  tea 
made  from  roots  and  herbs,  together  with  a 
similar  solution  for  external  application  upon 
the  affected  portions,  and  while  these  good 
Samaritans  squatted  beside  the  cot  and  sought  to 
soothe  my  afflictions,  a  courtly  and  distinguished 
appearing  native  of  evidently  the  higher  walks 
of  life,  as  measured  by  possession  of  the  world's 
goods,  appeared  and  insisted  upon  removing  me 
to  his  home  in  the  village,  where  his  wife,  his 
daughter  and  himself  bestowed  upon  me  (an  ab- 
solute stranger  and  an  exceedingly  unpresentable 
one  at  that)  every  care  and  attention  for  two 
days,  until  again  able  to  journey  onward. 

And  now,  departing  from  these  people  who 
scorned  any  monetary  reward  for  their  service, 
the  question  arose  reproachfully  in  my  mind, 
where,  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  my  land, 
under  similar  circumstances  and  general  appear- 


458  REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS. 

ances,  could  I  guarantee  to  these  and  theirs  a 
like  demonstration  of  kindness,  sympathy  and 
zealous  care.  Uninfluenced  by  position,  posses- 
sion or  hope  of  reward,  and  further,  in  view  of 
the  many  patronizing  and  uncomplimentary  re- 
marks heard  concerning  these  people,  it  is  but 
fitting  to  record  such  deeds  as  this,  and  for  one 
who  knows  to  assure  the  reader  that  such  is  with 
the  natives  of  all  Mexico  not  the  exception,  but 
the  rule. 

Journeying  on  northward  up  the  Rio  Mocte- 
zuma  to  its  head,  and  on  to  where  the  Rio  Bate- 
pito  suddenly  changes  its  course  from  north  to 
south,  we  had  now  reached  a  point  where,  from 
the  higher  elevations,  the  great  arid  wastes  of 
Arizona  and  ISTew  Mexico  again  presented  them- 
selves, featureless,  forbidding  and  dreary. 

The  charm  of  this  native  land  that  lay  before 
us,  that  of  nature  unadorned,  with  its  flora  and 
its  fauna  undisturbed,  had  vanished  from  every 
portion  thereof  a  generation  now  past.  And  in 
all  these  wanderings  through  the  wilds  of  a 
neighboring  domain,  from  far  away  out  of  the 
sunny  south  and  its  atmosphere  of  entrancing 
mysticisms  of  antiquity,  and  the  charm  of  its 
yet  existing  customs  and  art,  we  had  failed  to 
find  that  which  we  once  enjoyed,  and  of  which 
we  witnessed  the  passing  in  our  own  home  land, 
for  none  but  the  North  American  Indian  has 
preserved  that  condition  for  which  we  sought, 
and  where,  unassociated  with  any  other  of 


REMINISCENT    RAMBLINGS.  459 

humankind  but  he,  the  forest  remains  primeval, 
the  deer,  the  elk,  the  buffalo,  and  even  the  fish 
of  the  waters  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  fear  not, 
and  roam  at  will. 

Alas,  in  retrospection  we  find  these  Homeric 
conditions  to  have  now  passed  to  such  an  extent 
that,  though  at  times,  in  their  pursuit  or  other- 
wise, led  far  into  the  fastnesses  of  these  early 
scenes,  we  find  at  last  a  spot  possessed  appar- 
ently of  its  pristine  charm,  uncontaminated  by 
the  seemingly  polluting  touch  of  civilization, 
when,  ere  the  dream  is  fairly  formed,  there 
breaks  upon  the  ear  the  discordant  notes  of  that 
advance  agent  of  industry,  the  burro,  the  sound 
of  a  prospector's  shot,  or  the  vulgar  tones  of 
the  steam  whistle. 

We  turn  in  hopeless  longing  when,  from  the 
soul,  there  echoes  back  the  stern  declaration, 
"That  for  which  you  search  shall  live  in  the 
land  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  you  and  yours,  no 
more,  forever." 

THE    END. 


